


One for sorrow two for joy

by Dissenter



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Aoko is also Kid, Because she cheats, Best Friends, Codependency, Cuddles, Except Akako, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Kaito and Aoko sometimes switch places at school, Kaito is Kid, Magic Tricks, Mind Games, Multi, No-one can tell, Nobody knows, Screwing with the police for fun and profit, Secret Identity, Shared secret identity, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, genderfluid Aoko, genderfluid Kaito
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-13 20:15:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 34,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11192622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dissenter/pseuds/Dissenter
Summary: Kaito is the Kaitou Kid. So is Aoko. Together they commit crime.





	1. Welcome to the dark side

**Author's Note:**

> In which Kaito is not alone when he stumbles into his father's thief lair. Aoko makes a snap decision when faced with an adventure, and everything gets out of hand more quickly than they expected.

It was… unexpected, although maybe it shouldn’t have been. Once the idea had been planted it was hard not to see all the ways it just made _sense._ A magician, a master of disguise, who vanished eight years ago, and now that she came to think of it, nobody had ever seen Kaitou Kid and Kuroba Touichi in a room together. He’d even named his son _Kaito,_ and if that wasn’t the most ridiculously shameless pun she’d ever heard she’d eat one of Kaito’s roses.

But still it was unexpected. One moment she had been chasing Kaito around his house with a mop, the next moment he’d fallen through a secret doorway neither of them knew was there, and the whole world turned upside down.

Kaito had been stunned to silence so Aoko had followed him down and been stunned in turn, at the unholy combination of magician’s cave and thief’s lair that she was confronted with. Colourful scarves vied for space with old blueprints, and lockpicks shared shelf space with playing cards. And at the centre of it all, a white suit with a top hat and a monocle.

It was a while before either of them could speak, the two of them too busy trying to reconcile their memories of kind, indulgent Touichi ji-san with an infamous international jewel thief, and finding it disturbingly easy to do so.

A stranger might not have seen it, but Touchi had taught them, both of them. Kaito more than Aoko, but he’d never left her out of his lessons and she knew what his magic looked like. It was a long time ago, but hazy childhood memories lined up with adult knowledge and made the connections she’d never been able to see at the time. Kaitou Kid’s magic was _familiar_. It was familiar because it was like Touichi ji-san’s magic, and she could see by the look on his face that Kaito was coming to a similar conclusion.

…

The thing was. Aoko _knew_ Kaito. Sometimes better than he did himself. And so before he’d even finished processing she knew what he would do. Because if Touichi ji was the Kaito Kid, it meant whoever had just surfaced was an imposter pretending to be his father, and that raised questions. Who? Why? What did they know? And it wasn’t in Kaito’s nature to leave those questions be.

It wasn’t in her nature either when it came down to it. She was a detective’s daughter, and something in her bones _wanted_ to know the answers. And so she was faced with a choice. She knew what Kaito would do, even before he did it, but what would she do?

She looked at Kaito, her best friend for most of her life, the boy who’d given her roses, and flipped her skirt, and always, always been there. The boy who’d been five years old when he stole one of her dresses and pretended to be a girl, and then offered a set of his own clothes as payment when she shouted at him. She still didn’t know how he’d known she wanted them. She looked at him, and thought about him putting on that suit and going out to find the truth about his father and something in her heart screamed no. Not without her. They did everything together, always, the good and the bad, she _refused_ to let this be different.

Their eyes met and he grinned. He knew her. Sometimes better than she did herself. She didn’t need to tell him what she’d decided.

…

Aoko had let him take the lead that first night. He was grateful for that. He knew it hadn’t been an easy thing for her to offer. After all, she’d loved Otousan too, he was like an uncle, almost a second father to her, he’d been there when her own father spent night after night at the police station, hiding from his own grief, and Kaito remembered the way she’d cried the tears he couldn’t when Otousan died . But Touichi was _Kaito’s_ father and she’d stepped back, deferred to his claim and played support while he confronted the man that turned out to be Jii.

Then everything had turned itself upside down again. Jii had confirmed his father was Kaitou Kid, and then he told them he’d been murdered, and years old scars had ripped themselves open with a new wave of grief and rage. If Aoko hadn’t been there to watch over him he might well have done something stupid.

Then again it could be said that both of them ended up doing something stupid together. Aoko had never really been much of a moderating influence, and declaring war on a secret criminal organisation with the power to make a murder investigation just… disappear, wasn’t exactly sensible behaviour.

Thanks to Aoko at least they had an escape route planned, and when they met back up in the hidden room he didn’t even have to ask to know she was with him, all the way.

…

“If we’re going to do this”, he said, deadly serious and angry, without a trace of his usual humour, “We need to plan it out properly.” And it was a testament to how well they knew each other that they didn’t need to clarify what “this”, was. No matter that they’d never intended to _actually_ become criminals, that they’d just wanted answers. They’d found their answers and now there was no going back. They _couldn’t_ let the syndicate get what they wanted, not if they were what they seemed to be. And not just because they’d killed Touichi ji-san, but because they’d managed to cover it up. Aoko was a detective’s daughter and she _knew_ what kind of people could do that, what kind of things they did to do it. It was never just _one_ murder with that kind of people.

“If we’re both Kaitou Kid.” Aoko thought aloud, “we need to work out his persona ahead of time. So that no-one can tell we’re two different people. I think it might be useful if people didn’t know there was more than one of us.” Kaito nodded and she could see the plans dancing behind his eyes as his usual enthusiasm returned.

“That way we can be each other’s alibi, not to mention there’s plenty of tricks that make use of a stunt double, and just imagine how we could fuck with people’s heads, just appearing in impossible places.”

“Do we tell Jii.” Aoko queried before shaking her head slightly and answering her own question. “Yes of course. After all if he’s helping us he’ll need to know, and given how much he knows already I doubt he’ll be willing to stand back.” Kaito nodded in agreement, and the conversation descended into an hour long discussion of the kind of technical details she hadn’t seriously thought about since Touichi ji-san died and she put away her magic tricks, and she wondered idly if she was still a good enough magician to pull this off. Clearly the same thought had occurred to Kaito.

“You’ll have to brush up on your magic skills.” He pointed out, his face a study in wicked amusement, and the knowledge that he’d got one over on her. “Can’t have you posing as Kaitou Kid if you’re obviously incompetent after all. Not that you’ll ever be on a level with such a great magician as me, but you should at least be tolerable.” Aoko cracked her knuckles.

“Tolerable.” She shrieked, and maybe she was being a little loud but it was a familiar pattern that ended with her chasing him around the secret room with an honest to god wizard style broomstick that had been propped up in the corner and it was a refreshing piece of normalcy after the day’s revelations. Judging by Kaito’s reactions he thought so too.


	2. Birthday blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Aoko's birthday, and neither of her fathers will be there. She can live with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Aoko has a birthday party, Kid holds a heist, and information is the best birthday present.

It wasn’t something she ever said out loud, but Aoko had two fathers. There was her father of course, and maybe he’d been a little distant when she needed him, had paid too much attention to work and not enough to her, but still, he loved her, she knew he loved her, and distant though he may have been he’d _stayed_ when every other parent she’d had, left in one way or another. For eight years he’d been a single father to a pair of children that used to have four parents, and that was no small thing. That was her father Nakamori Ginzo and she was proud of him. But there was also Kaito’s father, Kuroba Touichi, who’d been as different from her father as night from day, but no less beloved because of it. Touichi ji who’d died when she was just eight years old, but until that day had been _there,_ available in a way her own father wasn’t. Who’d taught her magic tricks, and helped with her homework, and picked her up from school when her own father was working late again. Touichi ji who had been so much larger than life in a way that her child self had adored but not understood. She loved them both, and it had been a very long time since either of them had attended her birthday.

She was turning seventeen and she knew that neither of the two men she could call father would be there. She might have resented the Kid for that, if things had been different. After all, in one way or another Kaitou Kid had stolen them both. One because he chased the Kid, the other because he _was_ the Kid, and had died for it.

She certainly _used_ to resent Kid. She remembered how things had been back when she and Kaito were children. The way her father had buried himself in his work to try and forget the empty space her mother’s death had left in their home. The way he’d left her to spend more time at Kaito’s house than her own. The way Kid had been a distraction, and a relief, and a reason to keep going when she hadn’t been enough, and she’d _hated_ him for it with all the simplicity of childhood. For being enough when she wasn’t, for putting the light back in her father’s eyes when she couldn’t.

But between now and then she’d grown up, and nothing was that simple anymore. For one thing she _was_ the Kid, at least some of the time and she’d never been one for self hatred, if anything too quick to pin her anger on others. She knew that about herself. For another _Kaito_ was also the Kid, and hating Kaito might just be enough to break her. She wouldn’t go down that road.

Once she’d resented the Kid but eight years ago a man died. Her father in all the ways that mattered, and he’d taken a large chunk of her other father with him. Eight years ago the Kid had vanished, and that light he’d brought back into her father’s eyes had gone with him. She’d resented the Kid for putting that spark there, but she resented him even more for taking it with him when he disappeared. And eight years later she found that the thief that vanished, and the father that died were one and the same, and she found herself stepping into his shoes.

And the light that brought back into her father’s eyes, the thrill of the chase, and the problem to solve, suddenly _she_ was the one that gave him that, not a stranger in a white hat. But then it had never really been a stranger under that hat, and no wonder the Kid had always known just how to fire her father up. Her father might shout and swear now that the Kid was back, he might come home late and forget her birthday, but for eight years he’d looked _lost,_ and now finally, she was enough to make him stop looking like that. Her old resentment for the Kid had melted like snow in summer.

…

She was turning seventeen and Kaito was stealing a jewel in honour of her birthday. It was on their list of course, but she knew him _far_ too well to pretend the timing was anything but sentimental. It was a shame she couldn’t go with him, but it was her birthday, and if she didn’t show to her own party, questions would be asked. Kaito had promised to bring her the jewel known as the Blue Birthday though, to gloat and giggle over before  they returned it, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t think that was sweet.

But then that was Kaito, sweet in all the most socially unacceptable ways. She knew people wondered why the two of them were so close, after all, Kaito did his level best to drive her up the wall on any given day. But then most people were unobservant, and half of his outrageous behaviour was just a reminder to her that he was still _there._ (The other half was his vicious sense of humour, but then, that was just part of what made him Kaito).

….

He came home with something better than a jewel though, although he had apologised about failing to bring it to her. Once she heard his news though she hadn’t cared. She was just glad to have him home safe. Losing him was… unthinkable. He’d come home alive though and what was more he’d come home with information, about the people who killed Touichi jii, the reason they’d taken up his mantle.

With all the skill of a true storyteller he’d told her about how he’d got the jewel, about the men that shot him for it, about the way he’d outsmarted them, convinced them he was the ghost of Touichi ji come back to haunt them. She smiled all teeth, in vicious satisfaction at how that must have unsettled the bastards. Even if they did assume he’d never died in the first place, it couldn’t be a good feeling to know an enemy you’d thought dead was back on your trail.

He told her about Pandora, about a jewel  that glowed blood red under moonlight, and her own scepticism was more or less irrelevant. Their newly revealed enemies believed it, and that was reason enough to take it from them. They had stolen a life from her and Kaito, so she and Kaito would steal the thing they valued more than life. There was a certain poetic justice in that she felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok that was a bit too much character study, not enough action, but this chapter really wouldn't co-operate. I actually have chapter four mostly blocked out and considered just jumping ahead, but it didn't seem right to skip Aoko's birthday in a fic where she and Kaito get equal billing.  
> There should be a chapter per episode, or at least that's the plan. The next one will be Kaito's pov, mostly.


	3. Play the part

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jii is as close as they have to a Grandfather, and so of course, they have to steal back his prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko gets drunk, Kaito salvages the situation, and the two of them are probably closer than is healthy.

Aoko was probably going to _strangle_ him for changing the plan without warning and making her the distraction, but really, it wasn’t his fault she managed to get herself drunk, and the show had to go on. It was a matter of principle. Together they were one of the most notorious thieves in the world, and Jii was the closest thing they had to a Grandfather. It would be a _disgrace,_ if they allowed someone to get away with stealing his treasures without stealing them back. Besides, they already sent a note, and a promise was a promise, a line in the sand that both of them needed for one reason or another. She was too drunk to run the show, and it was far too late to cancel, so he traded the roles around and switched up the show, and trusted to Aoko’s instincts and early training to adapt to the change.

Luckily even drunk Aoko was an old hand at playing distraction, performance ingrained to the point of reflex, and gift for drawing the crowd’s eye that equalled his own. It had been years, but Aoko had paid just as much attention to his father’s lessons as he had. There was a reason they were both able to play the Kid. In fact, when Kaito really thought about it, Aoko was in some ways a better actor than he was. After all, she was the one that had most of the world convinced she was normal, in spite of the way she chased him over the whole school with a mop every morning. That took a _talent_ for misdirection.

Although she might have overdone it a little with the weeping and wailing at Kaito’s dummy, not to die and leave her alone. Note to self, alcohol brought out the melodramatic Spanish soap star in Aoko. He had to keep track of these things, for more reasons than simply ease of impersonation. He had to know her, as well as he knew himself, because without knowing her, he wasn’t sure if he _did_ know himself, and that… that was lethal for someone who wore as many masks as they did.

…

They were becoming increasingly interchangeable, he and Aoko, he thought, and wondered if an ordinary person would find that disturbing. They’d been taking note of each other’s quirks, trying to integrate them into one seamless persona, making sure that the Kid seemed like one person to anyone who cared to look. It was maybe easier than it should have been. They were in a lot of ways too much alike, and they knew each other far too well. Aoko had cut her hair to make it easier to disguise as men, and Kaito had shaved his legs to make it easier to disguise as women, and they’d both taken everything they knew of each other and mimicked it so well that it was impossible to tell the difference.

They knew that for sure because they’d spent a week at school wearing each other’s faces, and each other’s personas and none of their classmates, or teachers had noticed. Nobody had, and Kaito wondered if it was strange how easily Aoko’s mask sat over his skin, sometimes it felt like it fitted better than his own.

They’d always been a little closer than most people could understand, than most people were comfortable with, broken in too many of the same places, for too many of the same reasons. They’d latched on to each other when it seemed like nothing else would stay, and they never did learn to let go. It wasn’t normal, Kaito was self-aware enough to know that and he was pretty sure Aoko did too. But then, Kaito had never much cared for normal anyway.

…

Jii worried about them he knew, about their co-dependency, about their recklessness, about the way they blurred the lines between their identities. He felt a little bad about that, not bad enough for it to change anything, but bad enough that he at least tried to explain. He didn’t want to make Jii worried. Jii was a grandfather to them, in every way that mattered, and with all their parents so distant, for one reason or another, he was the only truly stable adult influence in their lives. He wasn’t sure if his explanation really helped, but at least it had cut down on the concerned looks he shot them when Kaito showed up at the lair in Aoko’s skirts, when Aoko spoke in Kaito’s voice, when he couldn’t _tell_ which of them was which. Sometimes Kaito wondered if they really deserved Jii, so supportive even in the face of their obvious instability.

It felt good to be able to help him. To show him with deeds, with the skills they’d so fast been learning, just how much he meant to them. He’d been doing so much for them, helping them hold their act together while they got the hang of being Kid. He honestly didn’t think they would have been able to do it without him. The bulk of the funds for their crusade came from Kaito’s accounts, which were fed at random intervals by his mother, (he didn’t know, and he didn’t really want to know just where the money came from), most of the data on police movements and security measures came from Aoko and her access to her father’s files, but the legwork, the behind the scenes prop design, the dodgy contacts to get them the supplies they needed, the _experience._ That was all Jii, and for all Jii was as fully invested in their mission as they were, it felt good to do something that was just for him.

…

And in the end it was Kaito, and Aoko, not the Kid, that stole back Jii’s treasure. Kaito-as-magician, and Aoko-as-assistant, with the Kid a prop, and a distraction tactic to help with the show. That was important, Jii was important as more than just Kid’s assistant, and so it had to be Kaito and Aoko that helped him. After all, they were the ones that loved him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko wears a wig when she's being herself, Kaito uses the same wig when he's pretending to be her. Mainly because it would be really obvious if the kid sometimes had different length hair, and it's easier to cut it off than grow it long.  
> The week they spent switched started out as an experiment to make sure they were convincing, but it went so well that it becomes a thing they do sometimes, when it's too much to be themselves. Or just when they really want to wear the opposite gender's uniform.  
> No they are not particularly sane, and they are terrifyingly co-dependent.   
> I feel like there might be room for a super angsty spinoff where one of them dies and no-one's really sure which because the surviving one switches wildly from one identity to the other and is just generally in the middle of a breakdown. But this is not that fic so don't worry.  
> Hakuba shows up next chapter. He really won't know what's hit him.


	4. All's fair in love and war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba may be in slightly over his head. Not that he knows that yet. But he'll learn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba appears. Aoko and Kaito are intrigued. Aoko and Kaito manage to embarrass themselves. But they embarrass Hakuba as well so that's alright.

She stifled her giggles as she listened to the running commentary of Kaito embarrassing himself in front of their new detective. Really he shouldn’t have been able to get the drop on them so easily, even if he was new and unexpected. Honestly they’d both been getting a little complacent, dealing mostly with her father, who they both knew as well as their own names, and predictable because of it. They probably needed the wakeup call, what if it had been someone more dangerous than a high school detective that came after them.

It was probably easier to take it as a learning experience when you weren’t on the receiving end though, because Kaito came back in what could only really be described as a sulk. She shouldn’t laugh, it could just as easily have been her caught off guard, but still the image of Kaito trying so very badly to ice skate away from the scene of the crime was too funny to ignore, and she _knew_ he would have laughed if their places had been reversed.

They checked the jewel together when he got back, while Aoko interrogated him about their newest obstacle. Underneath all the layers of teenaged boy resentment, and wounded pride Aoko heard one thing. Kaito thought Hakuba Saguru was a _challenge._ Aoko was intrigued, and she knew, underneath the embarrassment Kaito was too. So she leaned forward with mischief in her eyes and asked.

“Ne, Kaito. Was he cute?” As Kaito thought about it she could see the gears turning, indignation giving way to a mischievous look that matched her own, and he _smiled._

“You know, now I come to think about it, he was pretty cute. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” and the tone of voice was all Kid. Their eyes met with shared purpose.

“Do you even need to ask?”

…

Aoko had been looking forward to meeting Hakuba Saguru, had even looked him up in preparation for their meeting. She’d been anticipating it. But she really hadn’t been expecting him to walk into their class casual as you please, while she was in the middle of bickering with Kaito. That wasn’t in any of her calculations. What were the odds? Aoko felt the whole thing was slightly unfair. Was the universe out to get them or something.

Having a detective in their class required a plan of course. They couldn’t afford to slip up in front of someone they _knew_ registered every detail. In the end it hadn’t been complicated. Kaito had pointed out that the old formulas were always the best, bait and switch. Keep their eyes on the glamorous assistant while the magician makes the switch, keep their eyes on the magician, while the assistant works the mechanism backstage. Distract them, show them what they expect to see, keep them looking the wrong way at precisely the right moment. Touichi ji had taught them well.

Hakuba kun’s first instinct was to suspect someone of something, so they would use that. So let him see Kaito, Kid fan, magician, prankster and basically the most obvious suspect ever, let him see Aoko, detective’s daughter, rabidly anti Kid, and obviously in the dark about what her friend was obviously doing. Let him suspect one and in doing so put the other beyond suspicion, and then pull the rug out from under him with an iron clad alibi.

 Aoko resisted the urge to mimic Kaito’s cackling, she had a heist to plan, and hopefully make a better second impression on their new detective than Kaito managed with the first. It wouldn’t do for their new challenge to think they were total dorks now would it.

…

Their plan was working rather better than they’d expected if Hakuba kun was asking her out on a date. Better still he offered a challenge to win that date. Not that he knew he was challenging _her_ of course, but still, it was _exciting._ Like their very own Batman and Catwoman story. She could see Kaito snickering in the background, but she knew he was just as intrigued by the setup as she was. The tension between him and Hakuba kun was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Kaito was excellent backup. He saw the opportunity, manipulated the flattery into a challenge set in stone, and Aoko wondered if it wasn’t a little… unfair to poor Hakuba kun, the two of them ganging up on him like this. Then she remembered he wanted to arrest them and decided all was fair in love and war, and since this was technically both… well cheating only made things more interesting anyway.

…

It was a little… ok more than just a little, flattering that he was taking this heist so seriously because he wanted a date with her. Although if that was because he was interested in _her_ or just because he wanted to tug on Kaito’s pigtails was anyone’s guess. Her money was on both, she and Kaito were both very attractive people, and from the way Hakuba kun had looked at them both he was not immune.

Flattering but inconvenient, she had a feeling that was going to characterise a lot of their interactions with Hakuba. Still if things were always convenient there would be no challenge, and life without challenges was deathly boring. Not to mention the chaos a bored Kaito would cause.

Still there was a mission to complete. No time to get distracted by the eye candy. Although he was very cute, all flustered and frustrated after getting knocked out by his own trap. She blew him a kiss before floating away. It would have been a perfect exit, if her father hadn’t had a sudden attack of competence and shot a hole in her balloon. Kaito had laughed and laughed about that. She supposed it was her comeuppance for her amusement over the ice-skating thing. He wasn’t laughing for long though. With her laid up with suspicious injuries, he had to attend the concert in her place, with her father. Apparently it was one of the worst things she’d ever done to him and he would never ever forgive her. She had to hit him with a mop to stop him being so melodramatic, and then promise him the next crack at their Tantei san to make him stop sulking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we start getting some of the build up to the very slow burn Aoko/Kaito/Hakuba romance. Poor Hakuba doesn't stand a chance.  
> And yeah they're using the fact that Kaito is basically the most obvious suspect ever to distract Hakuba from the fact that Aoko is in on it up to her eyeballs. Basically Kaito is the suspicious one, but Aoko is the one who doesn't have an alibi.


	5. The masks we wear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Akako meet. It goes about as well as could be expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaito's first response to seeing a girl sad and lonely is to try and piss her off in order to distract her from her problems.

Akako was beautiful. He could freely admit that. She was beautiful, but when he first saw her, surrounded by admiring suitors, what struck him most was how painfully alike they were, he and Aoko and Akako. Broken, and lonely, and lying, lying, lying about it. Akako wore desirability the way Aoko wore childish innocence, and he wore mischief. Roles that they’d been playing for so long they couldn’t imagine how to stop, couldn’t imagine even wanting to stop. A mask as a stressed element in the construction of a personality, impossible to remove without unravelling everything that lay underneath. The kind of mask that takes your skin with it if you try to take it off. He understood that feeling all too well. Maybe that was why he was immune to her, the kinship too close to ensnare him. Or maybe not. Aoko wasn’t entirely immune after all, for all the things she and Kaito shared, although she seemed less affected than the boys of their class. She might not be crawling at Akako’s feet, but she was definitely attracted in a way that Kaito just wasn’t.

His working theory was that the enchantment was specifically targeted at boys, hence the puppy dog devotion his male classmates were displaying, and that Aoko only caught a little of it because she was only a boy sometimes. He had no idea why he was exempt. Maybe it was just one of those flukes of nature. Or maybe they _were_ both immune, and Aoko’s attraction stood purely on its own merits, no magic involved. Akako was after all a very beautiful girl.

Whatever the reason, Kaito looked at Akako and he didn’t see what everyone else saw. He looked, and he didn’t see the cool, confident, beautiful goddess that deserved his adoration, and attention, that needed to be worshiped, and loved. He saw a pretty girl surrounded by admirers but so terribly lonely his heart broke for her. A girl who had let her mask become so much a part of her that she didn’t even know she was lonely. So he dealt with her the only way he knew to deal with lonely girls who hid behind masks. He made her angry. It worked with Aoko, reminded her that the mask _could_ crack. That there was _someone_ in the world that could get to her, that _understood her_ well enough to get to her. So he provoked her, he refused her attentions, and stole her spotlight and cackled with all the glee that his own mask demanded, and watched her seethe.

In retrospect choosing to anger her may have been a slight miscalculation. When Aoko got angry she usually limited herself to trying to brain him with a mop. Akako had access to some… more exotic resources, and far less sense of restraint than Aoko. Which, given that Aoko moonlighted as a notoriously insane phantom thief, and regularly attempted violent assault  in the middle of class, was legitimately terrifying. But he’d forced her to confront him as a fellow human being, as a challenge, as an equal, rather than just a pawn to play with, and so of course she’d been drawn in. After all, that was no small part of why he and Aoko were so drawn to Saguru, he was an element they couldn’t control, and because of that he was _interesting._ Still at least he and Aoko expressed their interest through teasing, and inappropriate flirting while in costume, Akako apparently went straight to mind control. Apparently her mental and emotional state were actually _worse_ than his and Aoko’s. Who knew?

He really thought making an actual voodoo doll of him was more than just a little excessive. But then, Akako had tied a lot of her identity into being able to control men, he’d seen that the first time they met, it was no wonder she’d overreacted to his attitude. Nearly getting turned into Akako’s mystically bound slave hadn’t been fun. It was a good thing the snow broke the circle for him because that could have got very nasty, and he shuddered to think what kind of revenge Aoko might have taken for him. Attracted to Akako or not, she would not have been pleased to have Kaito stolen to become Akako’s… slave? Concubine? Husband? It was really unclear, but whatever it was Aoko would not have been happy about it, and an unhappy Aoko was as dangerous as a bored Kaito.

So yeah, angering Akako, apparently a more high risk exercise than he’d expected. He couldn’t entirely bring himself to regret it though. Not when it had _worked_. She’d been furious, and embarrassed, and hell bent on making him suffer, and in the middle of all that she’d forgotten just how lonely she was. It was an achingly familiar loneliness, like looking into the mirror or Aoko’s eyes, and those two things were sometimes so similar as to be effectively the same thing. It was the loneliness of someone who everyone watched and no-one really saw. Her attack on him was only half in anger he knew, the other half was part of a desperate search for _something_ real that latched on to the one person she couldn’t just have with a snap of her fingers.

In some ways, real magic and stage magic were more alike than Akako would ever admit. They were both all flash and no substance, not _real,_ not the way friendship, and love, and family were real, and of course neither of them could afford to shed tears for fear of breaking their own spells. The only real difference between them, was that he had Aoko. He had Aoko and so he was never really alone, because there was always someone who _saw_ him, underneath the poker face he had forgotten how to drop. He couldn’t give Akako what she thought she wanted, but maybe in refusing her, he might be able to give her what she needed. Someone to look past the mask, who could and would tell her no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much Aoko in this installation, mostly because Akako doesn't have much interest in her yet, it's Kaito that's the challenge. That will change.  
> I should probably clarify that she's not actually romantically interested in either of them, she's just used to framing all her relationships through that structure. What she actually wants although she doesn't really know it, is real friends.  
> Aoko does think she's hot. But Kaito doesn't so it won't go anywhere.


	6. High drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clock is personal. And Aoko is a romantic at heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which a clock is stolen, a mystery challenger appears, and Kaito and Aoko are very comfortable in each other's skins.

When they’d started all this, Aoko hadn’t expected crime to be so _fun._ She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when heists had become more than a means to an end, a way to find Touichi-jii’s killers and make them pay, but somewhere in between seeing their name on the front page of the newspapers, and realising they had actual _fans,_ it had hit home. They were _good_ at this, and they were good because they _loved_ it, all of it. Plans upon plans like building castles in the sky and then the sheer rush, when it came time to put those plans into action. The joy in the mischief of messing with her father and his colleagues, the pride in the way the crowds would scream for them.

She really should feel guilty. They were after all breaking the law. It should feel bad, being the bad guy. During every heist, a small part of her still half expected to feel ashamed. But she didn’t, she couldn’t. Every time she held the night’s prize up to the moon she paused for a moment waiting to feel bad, and yet all she could ever feel in those moments was the rush of adrenaline, a wild kind of satisfaction in a job well done, and deep down an unshakable conviction that their cause was just and their actions justified. She wondered if they’d truly be able to quit, when Pandora was found and the organisation defeated, or if that was just another lie they told themselves.

She shook her head, banishing dark and distracting thoughts. The hour was late, the time was set, and Kaitou Kid had promised to steal a clock. Aoko was the Kid. She and Kaito had flipped a coin for it and Aoko had cheated, Kaito had cheated too of course, but this time Aoko had cheated better. It was amazing what the proper motivation could do. This was after all personal. A side job on their overarching quest for vengeance. For once, it was about Kaito and Aoko, not about the Kid.

She might not have Kaito’s perfect recall, but that day was burned into her memory as deep as Kaito was burned into her heart. A little girl, five years old and lonely, a little boy who made flowers appear out of thin air, a chance meeting in front of that very clock tower, and the start of everything. And now someone was threatening to move it. Well what kind of thieves would they be if they couldn’t steal away a precious memory before it could be lost?

Aoko was the Kid and Kaito was Aoko. Establishing her alibi early on, making sure she was beyond suspicion. The hand drawn anti-Kid sign was a nice touch she thought. Seeing her own face in the crowd should really have felt weird, but it was funny what people could get used to. Looking at Kaito and seeing herself had ceased to be strange a long time ago. That was something that had predated the Kid.

Admittedly it was only after the Kid that they’d started making a concerted effort to be really convincing about it, but Kaito had first tried on one of her dresses not two weeks after they met, and when he’d responded to her irritation by shoving an armful of his clothes at her, curiosity had overtaken outrage. She remembered the first time they’d done it at school, their teachers unsure whether it was worth making a fuss over when Kaito’s day to day mischief was so much more disruptive. Their parents, well Kaito’s parents at least had just thought it was cute. She wasn’t sure her own father had actually noticed most of the time, not because he couldn’t tell them apart, but because all kids’ clothes looked more or less the same to him. Fashionista her father was not, although the first few times he’d seen Kaito in a dress he’d just looked very put upon, and clearly decided it wasn’t even worth asking.

Now of course they were much more convincing. They wouldn’t be very effective as masters of disguise if they couldn’t mimic the person they knew best. It helped of course that they were both naturally fairly androgynous shapewise. With makeup and mask properly applied, and her not especially large chest bound flat, she could pass for a man as easily as Kaito could a woman. Now when they played each other at school, not even Hakuba could tell the difference. Certainly Keiko hadn’t noticed, and Aoko allowed herself a small mischievous grin at their effectiveness before she walked right through the front door into tonight’s performance.

…

It was astonishing how quickly their careful plans got derailed, she might have been annoyed if it hadn’t been so _exciting._ A challenge. It felt almost like having Tantei-san on a heist. She chased that thought, it felt, not quite right, it wasn’t Hakuba-kun, not quite his style, but not quite wrong either. It was closer to Tantei-san’s style than Nakamori-keibu’s that was for sure. A new player then. Someone _interesting._ Aoko smiled, and adapted.

She couldn’t quite believe they actually shot at her. It certainly wasn’t very gentlemanly. Hakuba-kun would never have been so crude. Still, the direct approach had its charms. She certainly hadn’t been expecting it. Whoever it was had almost managed to derail the whole heist. Almost, but not quite. After all this was personal. So she left their message on the clockface, and followed the screen down into the crowd.

…

She could have just melted away at that point. But she was Kaitou Kid, and it seemed a shame to waste such a romantic opportunity. There was Kaito standing in front of the very place they met, there was a promise from the both of them to protect that memory, carved into the very face of that clock. The moment was far too perfect, too poetic, to walk away from, and Aoko was nothing if not sentimental.

She couldn’t be Aoko of course, Kaito was being Aoko, and two Aokos in one place would be far too suspicious. But she could be Kaito, and that too was poetic. Lent a certain symmetry to the moment. And so years after that first moment in front of the clocktower Aoko as Kaito stepped out of the crowd, and offered a blue rose to Kaito as Aoko, and it was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think next chapter I'll have to step away from the Magic Kaito Anime, and dip into detective Conan, in order to do the Black Star heist. In which Ran is too easy a disguise for Aoko to pass up, and Conan incidentally becomes convinced Kaitou Kid is secretly a girl. (he's not wrong, but he's also not exactly right)


	7. Shell games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fooling the people who know you bet is always a challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito messes up, Aoko has to fix it, and somewhere along the way they cause poor Hakuba to have a sudden onset sexuality crisis.

Shitshitshit he fucked up, he fucked up so badly. Nakamori Keibu had seen his face. It would have been a disaster even if Kid’s Nakamori keibu _hadn’t_ also been Kaito’s Ginzo jii. As it was… Ginzo jii _knew_ Kaito, had half _raised_ Kaito. There was absolutely no way he hadn’t recognised him.

As time had passed Kaito’s panic had only increased, and by the time he arrived at school he was one breath away from breaking poker face. Aoko had taken one look at him and dragged him into the girls bathroom. They hadn’t planned for a switch, but they _were_ masters of disguise and so after fifteen minutes and some hasty improvisation he was Aoko. And since Aoko had no reason to panic he was able to calm down. The disguise wasn’t up to their usual standards, but their classmates were too used to their quirks to let it faze them.

Although the sputtering he could hear from the back row was probably the sound of Hakuba putting two and two together and working out that half the time he’d flirted with Aoko he might well have been flirting with _Kaito_ instead. It turned out that every cloud did indeed have a silver lining, because the sound of Hakuba’s rapid onset, probably massively overdue, sexuality crisis was absolutely hilarious. He hoped Aoko as Kaito was taking pictures.

Of course spending the day as Aoko meant he had to cook dinner when they got home, and well his cooking skills were, maybe a little lacking. And of course Aoko was still annoyed at him for being so careless so she showed no mercy in her criticism of the food.

And then she left him to deal with Ginzo jii, who… usually would have been able to spot the difference between them by this point. Either they were getting more convincing, or he was distracted. Probably both. At any rate he told Kaito as Aoko that Kaito was the Kid and Kaito… may have overreacted. It was lucky he was able to divert his panic into a defence of his own innocence. Admittedly declaring that he and Aoko were on a date on the evening in question probably wasn’t the best thought through alibi he’d ever come up with, but considering the situation it could have been a _lot_ worse.

He could probably have broken it to Aoko a bit better though. Asking her out in front of the whole class while they were wearing each other’s faces probably wasn’t the smoothest move. Her scepticism was only natural, formal dates weren’t really their thing, too… conventional to be terribly appealing. And they were far too much a part of each other for formalising anything to feel like anything but an unwelcome barrier. So him requesting something as conventional as a date at a theme park. No wonder she’d been caught off guard. To her credit, once she’d figured out it wasn’t a joke, she’d gone along with it pretty quickly, but her revenge for the… surprise was swift and vicious. She deliberately got caught peeking into the girls locker rooms while wearing his face. Pervert. She probably enjoyed the view even more than he did.

Speaking of views though, Hakuba was pulling some adorably conflicted faces at the realisation they were going on a date. Like he couldn’t quite decide whether to be suspicious, or jealous, or just turned on. He was almost _certainly_ going to follow them to make sure they actually went on that date. He’d tell himself it was purely professional, of course, but Kaito could see the curiosity in his eyes. Well well, it looked like the date now had a secondary objective beyond simply providing an alibi. Operation mess with Hakuba could now move forward.

…

Hakuba was feeling… confused. He didn’t like it. It was more than a little embarrassing that he’d only figured out the day before that sometimes Aoko was actually Kaito and vice versa. What made it even worse was the fact that everyone else had _already known._ Apparently it was common knowledge within the school that Kuroba and Nakamori liked to cross dress as each other, and that a known hazard of flirting with either was accidentally flirting with the wrong one. He took a moment to absorb the fact that he’d almost certainly flirted with Kuroba. He wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge. Everyone else had just assumed that he knew the score, and was either attracted to both of them or willing to take the risk.

The very worst part was he wasn’t entirely sure they were wrong. If he was attracted to Kaito while he was dressed up as Aoko, surely that made him attracted to Kaito. Didn’t it? Was he actually bi? Or was it just that Kaito was that good an actor and he was just attracted to the representation of Aoko. But no that wasn’t true, because he’d _known_ Aoko yesterday was actually Kaito, the makeup must have been a rush job because he could see slight flaws in the effect that made it easier to see through. He’d known it was him, and he’d still thought he was attractive. And then he’d made the mistake of looking at Aoko dressed as Kaito, and realise he still thought _she_ was attractive too. Now he was in the middle of a deeply humiliating sexuality crisis, and he just _knew,_ someway, somehow, this was _all Kid’s fault_. Now his head hurt, and he suspected he was about to be very unprofessional and stalk them on their date.

Still it wasn’t like it would be an unproductive use of his time. _Someone_ had to check their alibi’s, and he realised now it _was_ they, not he, because if they were that comfortable trading lives with each other there was no way Aoko kun didn’t know what Kuroba was up to. It was practically his _duty,_ to make sure they were where they said they were. He wasn’t allowed at this Kid heist, so he might as well do _something_ useful. Wow he was good at trying to justify himself. He was almost impressed at himself.

…

Kaito was right. Hakuba kun did follow them on their date. She wondered if he could tell Aoko was still being Kaito. Either way it was a wonderful opportunity to have some fun. Kaito obviously felt the same way, because the day quickly turned into a game of who could get the most obvious reaction out of Hakuba kun. Strategic use of body language, artfully dishevelled clothing coming out of enclosed attractions, Sticking her hand under Kaito’s top as they kissed in a way that couldn’t help but be suggestive. She conceded that Kaito probably won with the wet T-shirt thing though, sometimes the old ones were the best.

And then they went into the cinema and she left Kaito to maintain the illusion they were both there while Hakuba kun watched them from the back of the room. She had a heist to perform, and a crisis to avert.

Wearing her own face as the Kid right in front of her father, was one of the most nerve wracking things she’d ever done. It was also one of the most exhilarating. She stood there, wearing her own face, and the Kid’s smile, and challenged him to catch her if she could, and the _look_ on his face, was pure gold. She’d spent most of her childhood resenting the Kid for stealing his attention, and now she stood in front of him as the Kid as she told him she knew everyone he knew, and the knowledge that she had his _full_ attention made her _smile_.

She couldn’t resist calling him otousan as she disappeared.

She was back just in time for the end of the movie. From the looks of things Hakuba kun hadn’t noticed a thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Hakuba. He really didn't know what he was getting into. Half their class is quietly sniggering while he panics. The other half just feels very very sorry for him, he's not the first person to get caught out by the two of them. There's a reason people are cautious about flirting with Aoko.  
> If Hattori ever finds out, he'll probably never live it down.  
> Next chapter is the black star heist, because there has been a distinct shortage of Conan in this fic.


	8. The small things in life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoko and Kaito meet Conan. They think he's adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conan appears, Kaito has to be reminded that kidnapping is bad, Ran is too tempting a disguise for Aoko to pass up, and no six year old should be that smart.

Kaito stared at the small child setting off firewoks on the roof. It was a mini Tantei. He was _adorable._ Kaito just wanted to bundle him up and take him home to watch bad heist films and dress him up in mini-Sherlock Holmes outfits. Only Aoko’s pointed warning in his earpiece kept him from doing something deeply ill advised. Showing a detective, even a mini one, their home base definitely counted as a _bad_ idea. To say nothing of the trouble that kidnapping would lead to. Even if they did return him the next day. People got funny about that sort of thing, and they really didn’t need to upgrade on the wanted lists from thief to kidnapper.

But his little face was just so _serious_ when he introduced himself. “Edogawa Conan. Tantei.” It was _so cute._ Aoko had thought it was pretty cute too. But she’d told him to come home anyway. After all there was a heist to plan. Besides, she’d reminded him. If he really was a detective she was sure he’d come back. They were the greatest magician thief in the world, how could he resist.

…

He’d turned up again sooner than either of them were expecting, while they were going through the guest list researching potential… disguises to use for the heist. They’d been going through the people most likely to be close to the target, and they’d run into a picture of the daughter’s best friend. Kaito had done a double take. He squinted at the picture, then at Aoko, then back at the picture again.

“Oi Aoko? Do you secretly have a long lost twin?” He asked. Aoko just glared at him.

“Eh? What are you on about Bakaito?” He just pointed at the picture. Kaito was sorely tempted to take a picture of her expression. He didn’t think he’d ever seen quite that combination of confusion and curiosity before. After she’d taken a few minutes to recover her composure she grinned, like a crocodile, but with more teeth.

“Well. I guess we know who my cover is then.” She scrolled through the information Jii had managed to collect, and her grin widened. “Hey Kaito. Looks like I’ll be meeting chibi Tantei kun in person sooner than we expected.”

He scanned through the passages that had caught her interest and felt his smile growing to match hers. Turned out Mouri Ran, Aoko’s doppleganger, was living with their newest critic. It was a perfect opportunity to get close. Kaito would be jealous, but he _had_ managed to meet him first so he supposed it was really only fair. He was definitely getting point on the next heist Hakuba attended though.

…

For some reason, Kaito Kid reminded Conan of his mother, in all the most worrying ways. It was just a feeling he got whenever the Kid looked at him, like he was just _plotting_ how to dress him up in embarrassing costumes and take pictures to drag out at every family gathering for the rest of his natural lifespan. It sent horribly familiar chills down his spine.

He tried to reassure himself. At least if Kid kidnapped him for his humiliating schemes someone would probably call the cops. Given the cops track record at catching the Kid he didn’t hold much confidence in the thought. But at least an attempt would be made. With his mother there was never any hope of rescue.

Then he started getting that same feeling off of Ran. Which was really worrying. He’d never admit that was half the reason he’d started to suspect she was Kid. After all, detectives didn’t rely on things as unscientific as hunches. Of course when he’d started observing more closely he spotted more warning signs, but the point remained that it had been instinct as much as anything that had first directed his attention to her.

Kid was a truly talented crossdresser though, everything, body language, voice, the way he moved, the way he spoke. If he hadn’t known better he would have thought he really was a girl. When he paid close enough attention he could see it wasn’t Ran, but he knew Ran better than anyone else in the world and it had still taken close observation, the Kid definitely deserved the title “master of disguise.” Actually, he wondered, if the Kid was _that_ good at disguising, what made everyone so sure he was a he. Because when they really did make a very convincing woman. Maybe that was why the taskforce had so much trouble finding the Kid’s civilian identity. Because they were looking for a man when they should be looking for a woman. It was something to think about.

…

Kaito was right. Tantei kun really was adorable. Aoko just wanted to eat him up. No wonder Kaito had wanted to take him home. He was smart too. Far too smart for his age really. She was genuinely impressed he’d seen through the act. It was inconvenient of course, but it was also very impressive. The boy was six, and he was already on Hakuba’s level as a challenger. It was slightly terrifying to think about what he might be capable of when he was older.

Honestly he almost got her. That would have been embarrassing. Kaito would have laughed and laughed, and would have probably held it over her head _forever_ if he’d had to break her out of jail after getting caught by a _six year old._ Implying she’d stripped Ran san naked had admittedly been a low blow, but she was a criminal and criminals were _supposed_ to cheat. It wasn’t like she’d actually done it. That really would have been low. The girl had done nothing to deserve that. Policemen and detectives were one thing, they were the enemy, they knew the risks, innocent bystanders deserved a little more consideration.

She hadn’t expected it to be _quite_ that effective though. Tantei kun had turned bright red. It looked like someone had a little crush. That was so _cute._ Also useful information. She’d have to tell Kaito later. It was always good to have personal details on the opposition. Sometimes managing to fluster the enemy was the difference between escaping and getting caught. That was half the reason they made such a point to flirt with Hakuba kun, the other half being that it was just so much _fun._

Still, not the most dignified of exits. She’d distracted him with a cheap shot and then she had to swim for it. She couldn’t even use a smoke bomb to make her departure more dramatic. They would _definitely_ have to do better next time. It wouldn’t do to disappoint such a sharp critic after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it. Conan has arrived. He probably wishes he hadn't. I probably won't include many episodes from the det conan side, but there will be a few here and there if they seem important.


	9. Lost in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoko faces off with Akako, and worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason the Akako focused chapters keep coming out particularly angsty. I'm not sure why.

The real problem, as Aoko saw it, was that Akako chan didn’t know what she wanted. She knew she wanted something, needed it, like water, like air, but she didn’t know what it was so she lashed out wildly at anything she thought might be it. It made Aoko worry. It made her worry _for_ Akako chan, and it also made her worry _about_ what she might do. Because Akako chan was trying too hard to grow up too fast and she was going to get _someone_ hurt doing it. Whether that someone was herself, or somebody else was anyone’s guess, but Aoko knew she and Kaito were high on the list of possibilities and she worried.

She worried because Akako chan was _alone._ She had no parents, as far as they’d been able to work out, she had no siblings, or real friends. In fact Akako chan had no-one at all that didn’t dance at her every word, and Aoko didn’t see how that could be anything other than lonely. She’d been lonely enough over the years, even with Kaito by her side. With her mother dead, and Kaito’s father dead, and Kaito’s mother off halfway across the world, those nights when her father was working late again, the house had seemed so echoingly empty. Too empty for a pair of children to fill, but at least she’d had Kaito. Akako chan didn’t have a Kaito, she didn’t have anyone, and she’d lived that way for so long she didn’t even understand how much she _needed_ someone.

It was heartbreaking, it was terrifying. Akako chan didn’t know what she wanted but she knew what she had. She had power, a lot of it, she was a witch. She could warp the world to her desires if she so chose as easily as breathing, and one day she was going to do something that couldn’t be undone. Because she was young, and lonely, and reckless, and she didn’t know what she wanted, and she had no-one to tell her _enough._ So she did things without _thinking,_ things that could hurt people, things that could hurt _her,_ did them without thinking about whether they were actually what she wanted and sooner or later it would be something they’d all regret.

Aoko would know, after all she was young and lonely and reckless too, and there weren’t many people who would or could tell her where to stop. And she and Kaito had power. It wasn’t the same sort of power as Akako had, but it was no less real for that fact, and so she _knew,_ the more power a person has, the more rope they have to hang themselves with. She didn’t exactly _regret_ the choices they made, but there were so many bad endings to the path she and Kaito were on, so few good ones. They’d become criminals, become the Kid, declared war on the kind of people that could make people disappear, and just because she didn’t regret it, didn’t make it sane or healthy.

Akako chan was going to do something she’d regret, and thanks to Kaito’s instinct to meddle, it was more than likely he and Aoko would regret it too. He’d pushed, the way he always had to, and it wasn’t the _wrong_ decision but now they had her attention, now they were a target. Akako chan was _fixated_ on Kaito, and maybe Aoko was in no position to talk on the subject of unhealthy relationships, but Akako chan was straying into murder suicide territory with her latest stunt, and that wasn’t good. Aoko liked Akako chan, really she did. Underneath it all she wasn’t a bad person, she just had too much power too young, with nowhere steady to stand. She was not in the end so very different from what Aoko or Kaito might have been, if they didn’t have each other to hold onto, and that frightened Aoko. After all she knew exactly what she and Kaito were capable of.

It was, in a lot of ways a good thing that it was her not Kaito wearing the suit that night. That she was the one standing on that wire facing Akako and daring her to go through with cutting it. It broke the script that Akako chan had set herself, made her hesitate, gave Aoko time to act. And, Aoko thought that maybe Akako found her a little harder to strike out against than Kaito. Kaito might be the one she was fixated on but Aoko, she confused her, she knew she did. She didn’t think Akako had realised it, but Aoko had got to her just as surely as Kaito had, and Aoko was harder to be truly angry with, she worked hard to make sure of that.

Things had so very nearly ended very badly, but Aoko had moved, and then they were both safe on the rooftop and Akako chan looked so very young. She was trying so very hard to grow up quickly, but with the poise, and the moment, and the rippling waves of magic stripped away it was painfully obvious how young she was, how young they both were really. Aoko thought that maybe it would help Akako chan to be reminded of that. Or, no it wasn’t really Aoko, not Kaito either. That realisation came from the part of her that was the Kid, that was older and more experienced, and had no need to prove anything to anyone, yet another gift from a dead man who might as well have been her father.

After that night Aoko made more of a concerted effort to make friends with Akako chan. Because Akako was too dangerous to ignore, and too familiar not to care about. Kaito was more cautious, didn’t trust her, understandable considering the whole love slave debacle. But he didn’t try to hold Aoko back either, after all he understood as well as Aoko did, he was wary of Akako, but he still cared. Because she was like Aoko, and like Kaito, and even like Hakuba kun, different, and lonely because of it, and neither Aoko nor Kaito was willing to leave her be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So both Aoko and Kaito are kind of worried about Akako. Partly because an unbalanced Akako is legitimately terrifying, but mostly because they like her, they see a lot of themselves in her, and they can tell she's not ok.  
> Because when you think about it, Akako is actually one of the most isolated characters in either series. All the other characters have at least one person to lean on, all Akako has is hordes of fawning admirers, and a slightly adversarial relationship with Kaito. She really needs a friend. (I feel like she and Haibara would get on very well if I could think of a good excuse for them to meet)


	10. Sins of the father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito finds himself reliving his parent's first date. He enjoys it more than he probably should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Nakamori Ginzou is mistaken for Kaitou Kid, Kaitou Kid is mistaken for Kuroba Touichi, and Kuroba Kaito is mistaken for Nakamori Ginzou, (although that bit is a little more intentional). They have Aoko bang to rights though.

It was a trap, of course it was a trap. Even an idiot could see that much. A letter of challenge, and then a too good to be true prize from a competition Aoko didn’t even remember entering. But then that was the mark of a truly great trap, that its intended victims could see it for what it was and walk into it anyway. There had never been any question of them ignoring it, they would go, if only to see what it was all about. They really were too curious for their own good.

Then again, some would say that curiosity was a survival trait in their line of work. After all, if they didn’t know absolutely _everything_ about what was going on, it would only come back to bite them later. Kaito firmly believed that ignorance was a weakness that they couldn’t afford, and Aoko had never disagreed with him on the subject. What you didn’t know could hurt you. Of course what you did know could hurt you too, and what _other_ people knew about you could hurt you worst of all. That was what made their critics so dangerous, and so exciting. What this mysterious challenger knew, or had guessed was worrying.

Aoko had to wear her own face of course. Her name was on the invitation, the invitation was delivered to her door, they _knew_ something, that she was somehow involved. And because they knew something, Kaito and Aoko would have to be careful, would have to play the game as they set it. Whoever had sent the letter was expecting her, and so she would have to show. Kaito didn’t like it, not at all, but it couldn’t be helped and it wasn’t worth arguing. He wore Ginzou jii’s face, there was no need to show them his own if they hadn’t made the connection, and it was a decent cover, there was nothing suspicious about a father accompanying his daughter, and the presence of a police officer might throw the trap setter just a little off balance.

It was obviously a trap. The trouble was that it wasn’t, technically speaking a trap set for them. It was set for his father, and so they lacked the background information that would have allowed them to predict how it would play out. Actually everyone involved was missing vital information. Actually it was _even_ more complicated than that, the trap was actually set for _her_ father after confusing him with _his_ father, and wasn’t it funny that their fathers were getting confused for each other just like Kaito and Aoko were confused for each other.

They were actually right about Aoko taking up the Kid mantle, for completely the wrong reasons of course but still, they got points for that even if they had missed Kaito’s involvement. Of course they lost points for setting the trap for the original Kid, who they assumed was still running the operation, and then lost them again for assuming the original kid was Nakamori Ginzou. He seriously had no idea how they’d arrived at _that_ conclusion, had they just not bothered to check alibis? How could they have missed how involved Nakamori keibu was in chasing the Kid the first time around? In any case it ended up with the person they thought they were after, the person they were actually after, and the person they caught, being three entirely different people. It was like a magic trick they’d managed to play on themselves, a cosmic game of find the lady, and their real target was never even on the board, had been dead for years. Truly, Lady Luck was the greatest magician of all. It was actually kind of funny, or at least it would be later, when they were out of trouble.

In the moment though, the situation was less than ideal. Aoko had been hit by sleeping gas before he managed to make the connection to the heist where his mother and father first met. If it hadn’t been for their opponent’s grandstanding they might have been in serious trouble. Luckily, he’d succumbed to the desire to exact a little poetic justice in his takedown of the Kaitou Kid, and Kaito was able to turn that around onto him, and make it an even more poetic repetition of the original incident. There was probably a lesson there about elaborate, and overcomplicated schemes, eventually causing the downfall of those that built them, but Kaito was choosing to ignore it. Overcomplicated schemes were fine as long as you had plenty of backup plans.

Clearly this guy hadn’t got the memo about the backup plans, because once they were out they were in the clear, and Aoko had finally managed to shake the effects of the sleeping gas. Admittedly he’d had to pick Aoko’s pocket for her lockpicking wire after he lost his own to a lucky shot to the pocket (Note to self, carry backups of vital supplies in separate pockets), but they’d got away clean, and that was always a rush. And for once they were in the same place at the same time sharing that rush, and so he kissed her, hard and wild. It tasted like moonlight, and freedom, and invincibility, he’d kissed her before and it had been good but never like that, they would have to make a point of meeting up after heists if that was how it felt when the adrenaline was singing in his veins, and the Kid was a silvery web of clarity around his mind, and the sky was their own.

His mother had been insufferable about the whole thing, incurable romantic that she was, and Aoko enabled her shamelessly. Asking about other romantic moments she and Otousan had shared, listening intently to story after story before turning around and helping Kaasan quiz him to make sure he’d been paying attention. She really was evil sometimes. He was half convinced it was some kind of revenge for the fact that she’d missed most of the fun, but really it wasn’t his fault she hadn’t built up enough of a resistance to sleeping gas. Not that he said as much to her. He wasn’t suicidal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conan is back next chapter.


	11. Three can keep a secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is very hard to say no when your mother asks a favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito's mother, who might as well be Aoko's mother, has a mission for them. Conan can't help but get involved. After all, his mother has her own interest in the case

Kaito was a lot more like his mother than he’d ever admit to. They both had the same inconvenient mischievous sense of humour. The way she’d stuck the two of them with cleaning up her old messes, was pure Kaito. Distraction, followed by the assignment, and then disappear before anyone can figure out what happened, just like a magic trick. The way Kaito sputtered at the last part had Aoko supressing a giggle. Chikage obasan always did have an absolute gift for disrupting his composure. She supposed it was a mother thing.

She didn’t really remember her own mother all that clearly, just warm arms, and a reassuring voice, and a face not unlike her own. Chikage oba was probably the closest thing she had. Maybe it wasn’t the most traditional mother daughter relationship, couldn’t be, considering how much time Chikage spent out of the country. Chikage didn’t look after her, or cook her dinner, or tell her off when she misbehaved. But still, she was the closest thing Aoko had to a mother, and when she was feeling alone, when she had questions about love, or life, or growing up, when Kaito was being _annoying,_ Chikage oba was never more than a phonecall away, and that was enough. She might be flighty, and unreliable, and largely absent, but she tried, and she cared, and she _never_ gave either Kaito or Aoko cause to doubt that she cared.

And now she had given them a task, and it wasn’t like either of them would say _no_ to her. Kaito might grumble about having to clean up her messes, but Aoko knew he saw as clearly as she did. That it was proof that Chikage oba trusted them with her legacy as a phantom thief, that she saw them as her own heirs as well as Touichi’s. It meant she was proud of them, and that meant more than Aoko had ever thought it could.

…

Returning things rather than taking them was an amusing reversal. But the logistics of it were a little awkward, a lot of things to set up very quickly. It was a good thing there were two of them, this one was a two person job, no doubt about it. Aoko supposed Jii might have been able to fill in if it had been just the one of them, but it wouldn’t have been ideal. No it was good that they had each other.

Especially when the additional obstacles made themselves known. The security measures were startling, but nothing that they couldn’t handle, that was what reconnaissance was for. Edogawa Conan’s presence, on the other hand, might make this reverse heist a real challenge, because that kid was just far too sharp for a six year old.

And if he was there they _had_ to impress, the heist had to be a work of _art._ Not that their heists weren’t always works of art, but for their most adorable critic, they really did need to go the extra mile. It was always important to show off a little when critics were in the audience.

The reverse heist was a clever, intricate piece of work really. All the power of it in the details. The belts on the policemen, the many little placards, in the end the Kid had only had to appear for a moment to set off the sprinklers and prove he’d been there. That had been Kaito, leaving Aoko to do the heavy work of actually setting everything up, but they’d flipped a coin and Kaito had cheated fair and square. Next time she’d just have to cheat better.

Aoko had been the one that managed to catch Tantei kun in the bathroom though, and the opportunity to taunt him had made it all worth it. He was so cute when she caught him off balance. Clever little meitantei though, figuring out the real target of their heist _and_ how they’d pull it off, before they even pulled the big reveal. Both she and Kaito felt he deserved a reward for that, so when he caught up with Kaito, the Kid had decided to share their relationship with the Phantom Lady. What a coincidence though, that Conan’s mother would be such a fan of Ryoma.

Actually something about what Conan had said bothered Aoko. She’d _seen_ that film and the actress playing Ryouma’s sister was _not_ called Edogawa. In fact the actress playing Otome was… Kudo Yukiko. Pieces of knowledge suddenly rearranged themselves into an entirely new shape. Kudo, as in Kudo Shinichi, the missing high school detective that Hakuba kun sometimes spoke about. No. It couldn’t be.

But was it really any more ridiculous than a jewel that granted immortality. She’d _seen_ what Akako could do, she knew there were more things in the world than could be easily explained. She looked it up, and she was right Kudo Yukiko _was_ the actress that played Otomi in that film, and she _was_ the mother of Kudo Shinichi. And she found pictures of Kudo Shinichi, and beyond the obvious similarities to Kaito, she couldn’t deny that the detective looked very much like an aged up version of their mini critic, who was really far too sharp for a six year old. It was impossible, but something whispered to her that it was true anyway, and what was impossibility to the Kaitou Kid.

Kaito swore when she showed him what she’d found, half because their Tantei kun was in trouble, half because they’d managed to miss it. Swore and then grinned, because the fact he’d let that slip meant their meitantei had rewarded them with a clue about his identity just as they’d rewarded him with a clue about theirs, and that meant that secretly, he liked them. Tantei kun trusted them, with his secrets if not with small valuable objects. They wouldn’t do anything to betray that trust. They were the Kaitou Kid they knew how to keep secrets. But it might be a good idea to investigate quietly. After all _no one_ messed with their detectives, except them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's how Kaito and Aoko figure out who Conan really is. I was originally planning for them not to figure out until a lot later, then I rewatched the episode and realised Conan basically admitted his own identity at the end for anyone willing to actually check. and Kaito and Aoko would definitely check.  
> They are not pleased someone has been messing with their Tantei kun


	12. Christmas miracles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impostors are very annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Aoko have an imposter. There is really only one way to deal with that sort of thing.

They were halfway through decorating for her Christmas party, when Aoko noticed the news. It was confusing. Kaito Kid had sent out another heist notice after three months quiet. Aoko certainly didn’t remember sending out a note, and she didn’t _think_ Kaito would send one without telling her. Unless it was the setup for some kind of irritating joke at her expense. But honestly it didn’t seem like his style, not surreal or shocking enough for him. Still best to check.

“Oi Kaito. Did you send out a heist notice without telling Aoko?” She prodded him to get his attention and he jumped like a startled cat. Sometimes it really was the small amusements that made her day.

“What are you talking about Ahouko. We agreed, I’m ill and you don’t want to spoil the holiday so no heists until _after_ Christmas. We haven’t even got  anything in particular lined up.” Kaito was the very picture of wounded pride. Aoko thought he was overacting slightly, but maybe that was just because she knew him too well.

“Well someone’s sent a heist notice and it wasn’t Aoko. If it wasn’t Kaito either it means we have an imposter.” Aoko sighed, this was so _annoying_. Why did the imposter have to ruin her Christmas party, did they not have anything better to do on Christmas eve? She had been _looking forward_ to this party. Still it wasn’t like they could just ignore it. They did after all have a reputation to maintain.

“Aoko thinks it was the store owner. Look at all the Kid merchandise he’s selling. He’s way too prepared for a heist note that only arrived last night.” Kaito nodded in agreement. They looked at each other, someone would have to go, and neither of them was really feeling it. Aoko narrowed her eyes unwilling to give in, Kaito glared, they held an unblinking stalemate for a few moments before Kaito blinked first, and gave in.

“Fine, I’ll take care of it.” He sniffed. “You’d better save some of that cake for me Ahouko.” She just rolled her eyes.

“Yes, yes, Bakaito, Aoko knows. I’ll keep you back some actual food as well. It’s not good to just live off cakes.” She stopped and thought for a moment before adding. “Oh and bring back a decoration for the tree while you’re out. You’ll need an alibi.”

…

It really was too bad. She’d been hoping that the fact Kid was so quiet would mean her father might actually come home for Christmas, and they could all three of them have a family event for once. Now both he and Kaito would be off playing cops and robbers while she held down the fort at home, and they’d both be missing most of the party. Still she’d save them both cake, and Kaito had promised to be back before the party ended. It could be a lot worse.

In the end, Aoko and her friends watched the heist on television. It was good entertainment and no matter how put out she was by the timing she had to admit, it was pretty funny, watching the imposter get what was coming to him. Honestly. She and Kaito trained intensively, and planned meticulously to pull off the kind of heists that made Kaitou Kid a legend, and this guy thought that just anyone in a white suit could pull off the role. He wasn’t even a _magician_. Aoko was _insulted._ She was sure Kaito was too. Otherwise he wouldn’t have bothered destroying that department store.

Although part of that was probably general bad mood from feeling ill, Kaito did not do sick well. And of course, annoyance at having to work Christmas eve, it was an unwelcome and unexpected disruption to their plans. It was worth it in the end though as it turned out, since the Kid’s presence at the heist reassured her father that he wasn’t dead. Aoko felt a little bad that she hadn’t realised just how much Kid’s absence was worrying her father. She should have, after all last time the Kid had taken so much time off, he’d disappeared for eight years, and Aoko suspected that a part of Tousan knew that the first Kid was dead. Of course the Kid going silent for three months would worry him. To be fair he did do a good job of pretending he was just infuriated by the Kid rather than attatched, but Aoko was his _daughter,_ Kaito was close enough to being his _son,_ they were supposed to know him better than that. Still it all turned out for the best. The Kid showing up alive and as infuriating as ever on Christmas eve was probably the best present she and Kaito could have given him, no matter how disruptive it was for their plans.

And of course there was the utterly fabulous, and highly ilegal new Christmas decoration Kaito had managed to snag. The Star of Giants really did look amazing on the top of their Christmas tree. Evidence of a job well done. It was even better when they saw Tousan do a double take at the sight of it and then dismiss it as too ridiculous to be the real thing. That was hilarious. The look on his face when he figured out it was the real thing would probably be even more hilarious. It would drive him half insane trying to figure out how the Kid managed to break into his house and stealth decorate. He would be so _confused._

Tousan needed more confusion in his life. It was just a shame Hakuba kun wasn’t there to share in the confusion. He needed more confusion in his life too. And Aoko felt like a kiss under the mistletoe would fluster him adorably. She wasn’t actually sure if she’d get a better reaction if she did it dressed as Kaito, or as Kid, maybe she should try both for the sake of comparison. Something to aim for next year perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There have been no heists for a while because Jii hurt his back, then Kaito got sick, and Aoko's christmas party was coming up, and both of them had exams. Nakamori feared the worst. I might swing back into detective conan for the next chapter.


	13. Menace to society

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba handcuffs himself to Kaito. And regrets it. So very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakuba tries to prove his suspicions, Kaito tries to mess with Hakuba, Spider tries to kill Kaitou Kid, and they all underestimate each other.

In hindsight they probably should have suspected a trap. Hakuba hadn’t exactly been subtle about his suspicions of Kaito. And Akako _had_ warned them, they knew better than to dismiss her concerns. They’d let themselves get carried away with the possibilities and it had nearly gone horribly wrong. If there hadn’t been two of them it probably would have, and Kaito had never been so happy to be a we, instead of an I. Even if it did mean he’d missed his turn to be the Kid.

Aoko told him not to sulk just because she’d taken over the heist when it was supposed to be his turn. It was easy enough for her to say. She got an extra heist out of it. He said as much and was treated to an unsympathetic glare.

“You got to spend a whole heist handcuffed to Hakuba kun, Kaito, so don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy yourself.” Was her response. That was the trouble with having someone so close he didn’t know where he ended and she began. It was impossible to get anything past her. Still she was right. If he couldn’t be Kid, being handcuffed to their very own Tantei san made for an excellent consolation prize.

Anyway he couldn’t complain too much, after all it was his fault she’d had to scramble. She’d been out of position for their original plan, and it was a credit to their skills that she’d managed to do it in style anyway. He’d been the one to accept Hakuba’s invitation in the first place, even when it was obvious he was being baited.

The look on Hakuba’s face when he’d realized Kaito was still handcuffed to him, but the heist was on anyway, had been absolutely priceless. He really wished he’d thought to bring a camera. Of course it probably meant that now Tantei san at least _suspected_ there was more than one Kid. But it was Tantei san, dropping him hints every now and then just made everything more _fun._ Besides, if they were going to keep him he’d have to find out eventually. That look of horrified realisation as Tantei san figured out he was outnumbered was one that Kaito would treasure _forever._

Hakuba had actually caught him off guard with the handcuffs, he’d known he was trying to prove he was the Kid, but he hadn’t thought he’d go _that_ far. That was Tantei san, though, ready to pounce whenever the Kid let his guard down. But the Kid was never off guard for long, and Kaito _was_ the Kid. A moment later he’d recovered from the surprise, and of course, went on the offensive.

“Why Hakuba kun.” He purred, in a voice that was all Kid, “So forward. We haven’t even discussed safewords yet.” The twitch Hakuba gave in response to Kaito’s shameless flirting was incredibly satisfying. He must remember to flirt more with Hakuba when he was Kaito, obviously it was hitting a nerve.

By the time Aoko appeared in the Kid costume, Hakuba was bright red and looked ready to kill someone, even odds whether it would be himself, Kaito, or the witnesses. Kaito took that as an encouraging sign. He wouldn’t be having _nearly_ such a strong effect if Hakuba wasn’t interested. Hakuba actually looked almost relieved when the Kid showed up. The relief dissipated when the Kid promptly started flirting with him as well. That was probably when the fact that he was outnumbered first sank in.

Sometimes it was just so _rewarding,_ being the bad guy.

…

Saguru wasn’t sure what he’d done in a past life to deserve this, but it must have been _terrible_. He had handcuffed himself to Kuroba who now would not, stop, flirting, with him. It would have been easier to ignore Kaito’s shameless flirting if a part of him hadn’t been more tempted than he was willing to admit to. He really wasn’t sure how to feel about that. He was reasonably sure it was actually Kuroba he was cuffed to, rather than Aoko in disguise, but it was almost impossible to be absolutely certain with those two. He wondered what it said about him that the uncertainty only served to make them _more_ attractive. Saguru blamed his thrice damned curiosity, and detective instincts. He never could resist a mystery.

And then the Kid showed up, and started flirting as well, and Saguru realised just how much trouble he was in, because there was Kuroba, and there was Kid, which was probably Aoko, and he really, really wanted them both. At some point his life had turned into a romantic comedy without him knowing. It was almost certainly Kid’s fault.

He really hoped that no-one ever figured out how hot and bothered the white suit got him. If Hattori found out he was going to laugh, and laugh. If Edogawa found out he was going to give that disturbing too old for his face smirk. If Kuroba, Kid, Aoko, or any other iteration therof found out, they would probably laugh, and smirk, and then kidnap him back to their secret lair to ravish him. He still wasn’t sure whether or not it was because he now associated white suits with the Kid, and he was pretty sure he didn’t really want to know the answer. All he knew was that _no-one_ could _ever_ find out.

…

It seemed the syndicate had decided to get creative this time. They brought in an illusionist. Kaito might have been impressed if he wasn’t so busy being angry. If Aoko hadn’t been almost as good a magician as he was by this point, she might have died there. He didn’t like to think what losing half of himself would have done to his admittedly questionable mental state, but it was probably for the best that they never found out.

They really had been able to fuck with the guy, once they realised he was there, let their games gain a vicious edge that they held back from on heists. It was almost a shame that Tantei san had interrupted. Appearing and disappearing in places they shouldn’t have been able to move between, dancing in and out with thrown voices, and decoys and soft cruel whispers, and Spider was a _magician_ , whatever else he might be, not knowing how the trick worked was messing with his head. The idea that they were that much better than him, that he couldn’t see the wires. Kaito had never seen a syndicate member so unnerved, half convinced they were a ghost. If he and Aoko had been any less a part of each other Spider would probably have figured out the trick, have noticed the subtle differences and guessed they were two people not one. But they were close, too close to each other, more alike than any two people could be without the kind of bone deep, soul deep trust that was utterly beyond their enemy’s comprehension.

It probably was for the best that Tantei san had shown up though. The men in black affected their judgement, made them angry, made them reckless, made them cruel, in ways they couldn’t afford. If he hadn’t come they might well have lost control of themselves, or the situation. It could have ended badly, for Spider, for them. They would have to do something nice for him, in thanks.

…

When Hakuba woke up a week later to find his room absolutely filled with roses, he knew _exactly_ who was to blame. He wasn’t flattered, not in the slightest.

If he kept a few of them in a vase on his windowsill, well, it would be a shame to waste them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no reasonable way to slot this episode into the series timeline, so I inserted it here, because it's been a while since Hakuba has shown up. Akako didn't have to show up and bail Kaito out this time, on account of having Aoko to substitute for him, but she does warn them both that the heist is a trap.


	14. Snow angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, it's all about putting on a show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko can't ski, Akako can't deal with her own insecurities, and Kaito can't resist an opportunity to make a spectacle of himself.

Aoko was not enjoying the latest school trip. Honestly, why did it have to be skiing. It was embarrassing, especially considering her nighttime activities. Honestly, who would take her seriously as the Kid if they knew she couldn’t even ski. Well except Kaito of course, but he had absolutely no legs to stand on, considering his ice-skating skills, or lack thereof.  But the ski trip was embarrassing, only made worse by the fact that Kaito was so good at it, and she kept falling over in the snow, so she was cold, and sore, and humiliated, and Hakuba kun wasn’t even there to cheer her up by playing knight in shining armour. She was definitely not having a good time.

Konno sensei on the other hand was having a very good time, taking full advantage of the situation to vicariously live out her romantic fantasies through her students. It turned out their teacher was a force of nature when given an opportunity to play matchmaker. Aoko was impressed, in fact most of the students were fairly impressed. Aoko would probably have appreciated the entertainment factor more if she hadn’t been so terrible at skiing. Some of the costumes people came up with were hilarious though. Seeing Keiko’s costume, and her miserable browbeaten partner, Aoko had to wonder if she and Kaito had been a bad influence on her.

But Aoko was fed up of skiing, and mountains, and snow, and being bad at something Kaito was good at. So she really couldn’t fully appreciate the production Konno sensei made of the whole situation. She just wanted to go home.

And then there was Akako chan, Aoko was worried about Akako chan. She knew Kaito was too, for a lot of the same reasons. She was chasing after Kaito again, and for Akako chan, chasing Kaito had never really been about Kaito, or even the Kid. It was about Akako, and how she saw herself, and how she defined herself, and if she was chasing Kaito again it meant she wasn’t doing as well as she pretended. And so Aoko worried, because Akako chan’s heart, her feelings, were more fragile than she was willing to admit to, and Aoko didn’t know how to help.

That was why it was a good thing that Aoko was never just Aoko. Because Kaito had an idea. Aoko didn’t like it much, but Akako’s wellbeing was more important than Aoko’s pride. She’d ski with Kaito, and they’d swap him out for one of Akako chan’s adoring fans, to remind her that mindless adoration wasn’t really what she wanted at all, and hopefully she’d snap out of whatever had driven her to return to old habits. And meanwhile Aoko would have to ski with Kaito, and probably humiliate herself horribly.

Kaito told her to stop being so melodramatic, that she wouldn’t humiliate herself. Aoko was sorely tempted to hit him with a mop.

“It’ll be fine.” He said. “I don’t know why you’re so nervous.”

“Because. Aoko. Can’t. Ski.” She snapped. “Have you not been paying attention these past few days?”

“Well yeah, but that’s different. This isn’t really about skiing at all.” He paused for dramatic effect, and Aoko restrained the urge to hit him. Then he smiled, the smile they used when they were being Kid. “It’s about, _putting on a show_. And that is something we both excel at.” Then he gave her a wicked grin that was all Kaito, and ok maybe she should have had a little more faith in him. “Besides, we already have the _best_ costume.”

…

He was right of course. They did have the _best_ costume. And the best effects, and the best showmanship. That fact that Aoko did absolutely no sking whatsoever, didn’t matter at all in the end, because Kaito was right. As soon as Konno sensei had announced the competition the trip had ceased being about skiing, and had become about showmanship instead. Good costumes, some strategically placed fireworks, and a whole lot of charm, netted them the grand prize, and her feet had never had to touch the ground.

The crowd had gasped when Kaito dressed as the Kid had tossed her up into the air and she’d opened the glider in a puff of smoke that masked her own switch from a dress into the white suit, before flying over the finish line. Meanwhile Kaito had switched the Kid’s suit for a police uniform, and angrily waved his fist at her for effect as she flew away from him. It was in the end, all about the performance, and they were both good enough thieves, to steal the show.

And it looked like their plan to distract Akako from whatever was bothering her, was working, because she was _smiling_ at their show rather than glaring in that way that made the two of them wary of voodoo dolls. She was smiling and the crowd was laughing, and they’d just won the prize. Maybe the ski trip wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was actually a nightmare to write. I'm still not happy with it, and it's a bit shorter than normal. Not much actually happens in that episode is the trouble, but i'm committed to including every MK episode in this fic, so it had to be done.  
> Back to DC for the magic lovers murder case next, and i'm sure you've all been missing Conan. Kaito and Aoko certainly have.


	15. Professional pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tantei kun has some rather unfortunate self destructive tendencies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko is sick with the flu, so it's up to Kaito to find out why a dead man is still on the internet. It seems straightforward enough, until Tantei kun shows up and dead bodies start appearing.

Aoko’s absence had Kaito feeling irritated and off balance. It just didn’t feel right, being so far away from her, like working with a missing limb. Still it couldn’t be helped, Aoko was laid up with the flu, and one of them had to go and figure out what was going on with Hallowief’s death. It was a matter of respect for a fellow magician.

So Kaito went, with Aoko’s voice in his earpiece, half reassuring half annoying, and a white suit for emergencies, just in case the Kid needed to make an appearance. He was glad he’d packed it when Tantei kun showed up, it wouldn’t do to _disappoint_ their most adorable critic by not being properly prepared. Although given that it looked like poor Tantei kun had the same flu Aoko had, it didn’t seem like he’d be staying. Well it didn’t seem like he’d be staying right up until the point where he showed up collapsed in the snow, saying the bridge had burned, and telling them all to run. Never let it be said that Tantei kun had no talent for dramatics, because that… was an entrance.

Kaito really hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly, though. Certainly he hadn’t expected people to start showing up _dead,_ that was never part of the plan. Nobody gets hurt, but this wasn’t a heist, and it wasn’t under Kaito’s control. There was nothing he could do to keep things from going bad. Aoko blamed Tantei kun’s luck, and he had to admit, the unexpected appearance of dead bodies did seem to be a rather unfortunate pattern where Tantei kun was concerned, but still murder just wasn’t something he _expected_ to run into.

He would confess to being more than a little worried by Tantei kun’s self-destructive streak. It was clear from what he _wasn’t_ saying that he must have run across a burning bridge to get back to them, and he was still running around trying to solve the crime despite clearly being far too ill to be up and about. He hadn’t realised that Tantei kun was that reckless, and it was concerning. Even if Tantei kun _was_ kind of cute curled up in bed looking sorry for himself. He’d actually had to pretend to be a medical student to get him to lie down for a while and if Tantei kun was like this all the time, well, maybe he and Aoko should be keeping a closer watch on him. For his own good.

Not that he blamed Tantei kun for wanting the murderer caught. Actually Kaito found himself very angry with the situation, with the murderer. Magic was supposed to make people happy, to bring joy into the world, the idea of someone using it to commit murder was just so very _wrong._ He would admit to taking it a little personally, echoes  of his father’s death in a faked stage accident ringing at the back of his mind.

It was a combination of concern about Tantei kun’s health, and anger at the murderer, that had Kaito doing his best to guide Tantei kun in the right direction, and help him where he could. Not his usual role but for this, he could make an exception. He might not be a detective, but he knew magic tricks, and he knew Tantei kun was paying attention to his hints. Had probably already worked out who he was, but he wasn’t saying anything so neither would Kaito. And being both healthy, and in an adult body meant he could help with things like securing the body when a sick child might not be listened to. He owed Tantei kun that much at least, and he had _no_ idea how his smallest critic managed usually, without an adult to back him up.

The way Tantei kun tranquilised Suzuki Sonoko actually explained a lot. “So _that’s_ how he was doing it.” Aoko said in his ear, and it was only the need to maintain poker face that kept him from echoing her. The Sleeping Kogoro, that’s how Tantei kun managed it. Not especially subtle, certainly not how he or Aoko would have done it, but then Tantei kun _was_ a detective, subtle wasn’t exactly their specialty. By detective standards it wasn’t a bad set up. Although knocking out random acquaintances when his favourite target was unavailable was probably pushing it a bit.

Tantei kun knocked out Suzuki and then they were treated to one of Tantei kun’s deduction shows. Almost as much of a performance as a Kid heist really, and Kaito would probably have enjoyed it for the showmanship alone if it weren’t for the inescapable knowledge that it was only happening because someone had died. Certainly he found himself impressed all over again at Tantei kun’s skill in figuring it all out so quickly from so few pieces. Even if Tantei kun was a fair bit older than he looked, it was still the kind of brilliance most people couldn’t even touch.

He had felt the need to intervene when Tantei kun had told Mouri san to fire the crossbow though. The determined expression on her face had been utterly terrifying, especially since he had _no_ idea what hr aim was like, better for everyone if he did it, he thought. He made a mental note to at least _try_ and avoid getting on that girl’s bad side, although with Aoko’s fondness for disguising as her that might well be a lost cause. He really didn’t want to see what would happen when she was given a deadly weapon. But it _had_ been fun to be a part of one of Tantei kun’s shows for a change. After all, he was never shy about making himself a part of their shows and role reversals were always interesting to play around with.

He had to assume Tantei kun appreciated his presence at his deduction, as much as they appreciated his at heists, because he waited until the very last moment to call them out. A little mini showdown just for the two of them. Three if you counted Aoko over the radio. And Kaito was very very glad he’d packed the suit. It just wouldn’t have been right, facing off against Tantei kun without the proper outfit, the proper _image_. From Tantei kun’s adorably feral grin as he confronted him, he appreciated the extra effort.

He took the time to compliment Tantei kun on his performance, one showman to another, before taking flight. It was a matter of professional courtesy, although he suspected Tantei kun might have missed the nuances. He only just got away by the skin of his teeth, but with the reckless style that _defined_ the Kid. It was a good thing Tantei kun’s show had taken them far enough off the ground for him to use the glider, it would be _embarrassing_ to get caught when it wasn’t even a heist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah they're probably going to bug every place Conan spends any time at all. They're totally going to keep the cutest pictures.  
> And Aoko is the worst backseat driver ever when she's ill and bored, with nothing to do but try and help Kaito with his investigation. Kaito is torn between being really irritated by her constant interruptions, and being reassured by the sound of her voice. They aren't usually used to being so far apart that they couldn't find each other and switch if they needed to.


	16. Queen of hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoko and Kaito steal a royal treasure. Things don't go entirely according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko is a little overexcited about stealing from royalty, both Kaito and Aoko have strong opinions on proper parenting, and the organisation brings themselves back into play in the worst possible way.

Aoko was feeling excited. After all, it wasn’t every day you got an opportunity to steal from royalty, from a _queen_. Kaito said she was overreacting, it was just another heist, it wasn’t like they had the chance to set up a truly spectacular show anyway, not on a moving train, and certainly not at such short notice, but Aoko didn’t care. Robbing royalty was one of those things that a phantom thief’s career just wasn’t complete without.

That was why she’d taken the time to deliver the heist notice in person. After all, it wouldn’t do to have such an iconic moment spoiled by a lack of showmanship. It might have been overkill dragging Kaito over so they could meet the queen in their civilian personas as well, but it did at least help them get a closer look at the security precautions and possible hiding places for the jewel, so Kaito didn’t complain too much. Even if he did think she was being a little too overenthusiastic for such a straightforward heist.

She would admit to being deeply disappointed in her father though. Disappointed and a little embarrassed. What was he thinking, getting drunk right before a heist? He knew better, knew that the Kid was the kind of challenge that required his full attention, and would take offence if he didn’t give it, it was like he wasn’t taking this heist seriously. Honestly, it was short notice but that didn’t mean they couldn’t dye his underwear pink if they wanted to prove a point. She knew why he’d done it as well, and really he was a grown man, he should be more resistant to peer pressure, even if it was coming from a pretty lady with lots of bodyguards. Kaito was more amused than irritated though, so she let it go, after all it wasn’t like this was one of their special heists, it wasn’t a masterpiece. Just a quick in and out with a touch of style to prove it was them. Even if it was embarrassing having her father drunk in front of visiting royalty. At least Hakuba kun wasn’t there, that would have been _really_ embarrassing.

She and Kaito had agreed in advance that the first one to spot the jewel got to run the heist and she would admit to being a little disappointed when Kaito got up, signalling that he’d located their target. A little disappointed, but really she was far more disappointed that the queen wasn’t the gracious person fairytales had led Aoko to expect. Oh she was glamorous enough, but no-one who was that cruel to her child was worth admiring. It got to Kaito too, and she knew he was feeling the same things she was. An uncomfortable kind of kinship, with one parent dead, and the other swallowed up by duty in the aftermath. It reminded her of those early years, right after Touichi ji had died, when her father had all but vanished into his work and the grief he wouldn’t vocalise, and she and Kaito had been left to pick each other up off the floor.

But it was worse than that. Otousan may have buried himself in his work but he’d never lashed out at her or Kaito. In fact if anything he’d treated them like glass, like they might break if he held them too close. She couldn’t imagine him treating them the way this woman was treating her son, with harsh words and rough handling, and deliberate distance. It was with a sort of savage glee that she contemplated humiliating the woman.

The heist had gone off without a hitch, or so she’d thought at first. She’d switched in the whisky glasses while Kaito hit the lights, and then swooped in as the Kid to make off with the prize. She thought it had gone well, another target ticked off their list, another arrogant rich person humbled. But then Kaito had come back pale and tense, and the boy had come back frightened with a story of chasing Kid to the roof, and maybe no-one else would have been able to see it but she _knew_ something had happened. Something had gone wrong, and since her father hadn’t left the room and Tantei kun and Tantei san weren’t even on the train, that probably meant… bad things, men dressed in black, snipers. Things that the little prince should have been nowhere near.

That little boy had been on the roof with Kaito, had been _there_ when whatever it was went down, and from the look on Kaito’s face it had been too close for comfort. Too close to sleep easy. At least the fright seemed to have broken down some of the barriers between mother and child, but Aoko couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t worth it. That there should have been a better way to bring those two back together, that didn’t involve a child almost getting _shot,_ and she knew there had been guns involved, nothing else put quite that expression on Kaito’s face.

They should have been better. They knew what they were doing was dangerous and they’d _promised_ no-one gets hurt, the boy should never had been caught up in their troubles. It was a failure, and she and Kaito both felt sick at the thought that someone could have been killed in the crossfire today. They would have to be more careful of bystanders.

That certainty was only reinforced when she and Kaito were finally alone, and he told her the details of what had happened. A child being used as a hostage against them and she could think of so _many_ ways that could have gone wrong. So many ways it could still go wrong and she shuddered to think of how easily their reckless little Tantei kun could end up getting too close for comfort, of what might happen to him if he did. And he might be their own age in mind, unlike the little prince they’d got caught up in their problems, but he was so _small,_ such a tempting target for anyone looking for a hostage, for leverage. In some ways his adult mind only made things worse, allowed him to follow them too closely, catch up too quickly, and it would be the work of a moment for one of the men in black to grab him if a confrontation turned sour. She didn’t think either she or Kaito would forgive themselves if Kid got him killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah they're going to be having nightmares about little kids with guns pointed at them for a while. A lot of the nightmares have Conan's face. Next chapter is the sunset mansion case. Featuring both of Kaito and Aoko's favourite critics.


	17. Challenge accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tantei kun meets Tantei san. The world trembles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaito and Aoko go undercover at a meeting of detectives, their two favourite critics finally meet, and murder seriously spoils the mood.

Aoko sighed. Someone was trying to impersonate them again. Honestly when would these people learn. Both she and Kaito were going this time to monitor the situation and put the imposter in their place if necessary. Although, considering the _other_ people this imposter had decided to drag into their schemes that probably wouldn’t even be necessary.

Seriously, what criminal in their right mind deliberately invites all the best detectives in the country to be pawns in their evil plot. It wasn’t like she and Kaito were particularly good examples of mental stability and even they hadn’t invited more than one at a time to a heist. Although she had to admit she was more than a little excited to see how Tantei kun and Tantei san worked together.

That was half the reason they were both going, neither she nor Kaito was prepared to miss this gathering, even if it did double the chances of one of them getting caught. The other half being the bad feeling they’d both been having. They suspected there was something more sinister than a heist in play here, and if things did go wrong, then it would be far better to have backup.

The disguises had posed a challenge. Impersonating a detective, especially in front of other detectives came with a whole raft of difficulties, chief among them how to fake expertise in an area that they weren’t expert on. In the end Aoko had decided to skirt the issue altogether and go in as Mouri Ran again. She’d done it before, convincingly enough that even Tantei kun had almost missed it, and it had the added advantage of keeping her close enough to keep an eye on Tantei kun.

Kaito had taken the slightly more risky option of mimicking Mouri Kogoro, but as he’d pointed out people didn’t really expect the sleeping Kogoro to act like an expert until he suddenly went to sleep and started handing out the answers, and Tantei kun could tranquilize him just as easily as the real Kogoro if it came to it. Besides, Kaito also wanted to keep an eye on Tantei kun, and it was good to have a persona that could act like a figure of authority if necessary.

Getting Ran san out of the way had involved two simultaneous phone conversations one with Ran san, and the other with Suzuki Sonoko. It had been surprisingly easy to manipulate Sonoko san into inviting Ran to stay over, it had been more difficult convincing Ran san to agree and leave Conan kun behind, and of course throughout the whole discussion she had to keep switching back and forth between pretending to be Ran, and pretending to be Sonoko. It had actually been kind of fun, and by the end of it she had what she wanted, Ran san was out of the way, and Aoko could take her place with none the wiser.

Kaito had showed up later, and Aoko thought, with rather less subtlety. Knocking the target out at a gas station and tying him up was the kind of quick and dirty move that belonged on heists, in a time crunch, not for something they had ages to plan out. Still it worked, and far be it for her to criticise effective tactics.

…

Both she and Kaito had grinned internally when Tantei san showed up. Clearly they were rubbing off on him because that entrance was almost Kid worthy. She had to wonder about his choice of pets though, after all, hawks have a slight tendency to eat doves, and they knew him far too well to believe he hadn’t thought of that.

She knew he had to have been suspicious of her from the moment he realised how familiar Ran san looked. But she had to give him credit he didn’t even flinch, just smirked as he apologised for the hawk frightening her, with undertones of a challenge that even Tantei kun hadn’t picked up on. She was almost _proud,_ they’d corrupted Tantei san.

…

It was somewhere between nerve wracking and exhilarating, being trapped in a building with so many detectives. It felt almost like a heist, except they’d had almost no time to set up contingencies, and they were more observer than performer in this show. This was in the end, a challenge for the critics.

They’d all made their way to the games room and while Hakuba kun showed off his skill at billiards, and Kaito as Kogoro lost to the old lady at chess, Aoko as Ran made her way to the poker table to have some fun with Tantei kun. She’d had a moment of panic, worried that the doctor detective was on to her when she accused her of cheating. She’d been so careful, she hadn’t thought she’d get _caught,_ Kaito would _never_ let her hear the end of it if she’d fumbled a simple card trick. Fortunately, it wasn’t her intentional cheating the woman had picked up on. Unfortunately, what the woman _had_ picked up on was the fact that some of the cards were stuck together with blood, which… pretty much spoiled Aoko’s enthusiasm for the game.

Kaito looked a little green too, under all the makeup, and even Tantei kun looked a little disturbed. She wasn’t sure she wanted to eat after seeing that, but making a fuss would be bad for her cover, and interfere with her reasons for being there, so when they were called to the dining room she went with it. After all, the last thing she wanted was to be separated from Kaito in a place like this. They were always stronger together.

…

Honestly the story seemed more than a little farfetched. The _interesting_ thing was watching the various Tantei’s reactions. He was pretty sure Tantei san was already suspicious that they weren’t the ones behind the plan, otherwise he wouldn’t have been so careful to tell the others to wipe clean their utensils, and Tantei kun was being unusually quiet. The others Kaito and Aoko didn’t know so well were harder to read, but he didn’t think any of them had missed how uncharacteristic the setup was.

Kaito was more than a little disappointed in their imposter. No stage presence, no spectacle. It was like he wasn’t even _trying_ to show off any of the style the Kid was famous for. Instead it was all shady directions, and cloak and dagger dramatics, honestly whoever it was presented themselves more like a detective than a phantom thief.

A detective gone _bad,_ Kaito and Aoko realised too late, when the cooking detective fell to the floor dead. Tantei kun’s luck struck again, someone really should take that boy to an exorcist. Kaito allowed his eyes to meet with Aoko’s as Tantei kun told them all the killer was likely in the room, an imperceptible nod and she spoke up. Reminding everyone that the Kid never killed. Tantei san’s confirmation gave them both a warm glow inside. It was good to know he believed in them, trusted them, at least in that.

…

He and Aoko had split up after seeing the old lady rig her coin toss. He didn’t know for sure why the old lady had cheated, but he suspected it was a sign of guilt. She was involved in this setup, and she needed to be watched. She was good, but they were better, _no-one_ noticed _him_ switch out his coin. If they were going to monitor the situation at least one of them had to be in that car, and since Aoko had no excuse for going it had to be him. Besides, he was pretty sure Aoko wanted to keep an eye on Tantei kun, who knew what trouble he would get into unsupervised.

He hadn’t seen her death coming, that had thrown him, more than a little, and seeing her disappear into fire had brought up, uncomfortable memories. Still he couldn’t afford to let it touch him, not when there was still a threat, and he had a cover to maintain. Then they got back to the mansion, and Tantei kun had answers, as well as a plan dramatic enough to impress even the Kaitou Kid. And Tantei san had been happy to go along with it. They really were a terrible influence on their critics.

It was a touch more violent than anything he and Aoko would have come up with, more like a Phantom Lady heist than a Kid one to be perfectly honest. Detectives had morbid imaginations. But the drama of it, the performance, the deception, the sheer glee at playing with their opponent’s perceptions that way, well Kaito was _impressed._

And Tantei kun was adorably vicious, taking apart a target. Like a very small and improbably cute velociraptor. The old lady didn’t know what hit her. When would people learn, underestimating Tantei kun usually ended nearly as badly as impersonating the Kid. At least their Tantei san was too smart to do that. _He_ could tell Tantei kun was more than he appeared, even if he didn’t know the things they knew.

Kaito had an unfortunate feeling they were onto him though, Tantei kun and Tantei san both. Tantei san probably suspected Aoko as well, but Tantei kun still hadn’t realised there were two of them, and he’d been more obvious than her. He hadn’t expected the old lady to give him an escape route. It was an odd way to apologise, but then, both detectives and phantom thieves tended to be fairly odd people, and in the end it was appreciated. Aoko would have to make a more subtle exit later, but Kaito left in style, as the Kid should. It was just a shame the treasure this time was really too big to steal, he felt almost as though he was letting down their favourite critics by failing to take something to mark the occasion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it the sunset mansion case.I thought about just letting one of the infiltrate, but I really didn't think either of them would want to miss Hakuba and Conan finally meeting. Then I rewatched the episode and realised how suspiciously Ran was acting through the whole thing, so Aoko went in as Ran, and Kaito went in as Kogoro.


	18. Princess in a tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Aoko realise they might have gone a bit too far. They decide to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which there is more royalty, and the Kid does his best to save Nakamori keibu's career.

They had, possibly miscalculated a bit. It was just so much _fun_ playing games with their favourite critics. They hadn’t thought about the fact that Aoko’s father, his father too really, in nearly every way that mattered, could lose his job if they made him look too bad. They didn’t want that, they’d never wanted that. They just wanted him to _look at them,_ to be impressed, and infuriated and intrigued by them, and between Kaito’s vicious sense of humour, and Aoko’s fairly justified resentment, they may have taken things too far.

Now there was talk of Ginzou ji getting kicked off the taskforce, of losing his job, and if he did it would be _their_ fault. The thought of it had Aoko snappish and Kaito worried. Ginzou ji _loved_ their heists, it would cut him to the bone if he was taken off the taskforce. And they loved having him there, not just because they loved him, but because he was _good,_ because he knew the Kid, and he knew them, even if he didn’t know why that helped, because he was a lot smarter than their heists made him look. Their father was a challenge, and they could easily see why their other father had favoured him so, maybe even the same way they favoured Hakuba. Not that they knew for sure, but, it would have made a lot of sense. Kaito was _not_ going to ask his mother about it. There are some things no teenager wants to know about their parents.

Kaito ran into him, after school. Ginzou ji, the only father he had left, sad, and frustrated, and uncharacteristically open. And Kaito got to play the sympathetic ear. It was unexpected Ginzou ji might be a second father to him, but he’d never been especially open with his own emotions, or problems, that he was doing so now meant it must really be bothering him. How could Kaito do anything but try to help.

So he demonstrated one of the core principles of stage magic, showed him how misdirection was at the heart of every trick, and it was nothing Ginzou ji couldn’t have worked out on his own but sometimes it took seeing a thing in action to understand the full significance of it. He hoped it would be enough. He would leave Ginzou ji the openings in the next heist, but he couldn’t just hand it to him, not if he wanted to look him in the eye again later. Because Ginzou ji loved the chase, the challenge, as much as Tantei kun and Tantei san did, he would never forgive them or himself if they gave him a win he hadn’t earned. They would give him the openings but it was up to him to find and exploit them.

They didn’t like this new detective, Delon, both of them were agreed on that. He was too quick to shoot, and too slow to care, they didn’t like his attitude, or the way his habits threatened the no-one gets hurt rule, and if humiliating him would make their father look better, well, no-one could say they weren’t vindictive when the mood took them.

…

Kaito was running the heist this time. It was his turn, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t keen to meet the beautiful princess. It was odd how many royals they’d stolen from lately. First the thing with the crystal mother, now this. It was like some kind of plague.

This princess was an entirely different kind of royalty though. He appeared in her room, every inch the mysterious gentleman thief, and his heart bled at the loneliness in her eyes, how hopeful she was when she asked him to stay and play a game with her. He knew loneliness, and it was the decision of a moment to abandon his original plan in favour of trying to help a sweet, earnest, isolated young girl. He knew Aoko wouldn’t disapprove. Not with the way princess Anna’s eyes lit up when he asked her to be his assistant and put on a show with him. That was after all the heart and soul and purpose of a magician’s trade, making people happy, and before everything else Kaito was a magician.

He liked her actually. A lot more than he’d liked the Queen of Ingram. Underneath the loneliness she was sweet, with a streak of mischief that he entirely approved of. When he promised they could perform together again the next time they met he hoped fate wouldn’t make a liar of him. He’d like to meet her again, he’d like Aoko to meet her. She was their sort of people, and she deserved to have some friends, and it might help Aoko get over her disappointment at the Queen of Ingram. He left her happy at least. With a memory of innocent fun and someone looking at _her,_ instead of the Princess.

With the princess’s help he managed to make detective Delon look like an utter idiot, and then it was time to make his exit. Nakamori Keibu was waiting right along the Kid’s escape route. Kaito was so proud. Ginzou ji had _listened_ to him, had seen through the misdirection, and then had noticed the tiny details that didn’t fit to see through his disguise. It was really only fitting that the Kid had let him take the jewel back, he had after all earned it. And as for the speech, well, the Kid could hardly let people get away with calling one of his favourite critics incompetent.

It was a relief the next day, seeing what the papers were saying about Ginzou ji now that they had a proper basis for comparison. He wasn’t going to lose his job, in fact he looked like he was going to get a commendation, after the higher ups had realized just how much worse things could be. And as for detective Delon, well he’d gone back to Europe with his tail between his legs, and good riddance.

It had, Kaito thought, and he was sure Aoko would agree, been a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought this episode was a really cute bonding moment between Kaito and Nakamori.  
> Next up, the teleportation episode. I have plans for the teleportation episode.


	19. Blue sky thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impressing Tantei kun is one of the Kid's favourite hobbies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I mixed up the timelines a bit. This is not in fact the teleportation episode. It's the midair walk. Teleportation episode is further away than I thought.
> 
> But Conan's here anyway so it's all good.

Aoko wasn’t sure whether to be delighted or irritated when Kaito showed her the news that morning. Kaitou Kid had been challenged. Suzuki Jirokichi had challenged them to steal the Blue Wonder from him, ad well, the Kaitou Kid couldn’t exactly _refuse_ a challenge. That wouldn’t be any fun at all.

Still, this one would be tricky. It was after all, most definitely a trap, and since they had been challenged, the show itself would have to be something spectacular. And of course, they were on a time limit. Usually they had plenty of time to plan their heists in advance before they ever sent out a notice, but this time, given the mood of the crowd, they’d have to do something about it in the next couple of weeks.

Jii chan was worried, and Aoko could see why. But they were the Kaitou Kid, and to back down would be to break the spell of their own reputation. Besides, Tantei kun would be there, and neither she nor Kaito was willing to let their most adorable critic down. Not when he’d taken all the trouble to be there for their performance.

They would have to show him something truly amazing.

…

It was Kaito’s idea in the end, to walk in on thin air, and after some discussion they’d agreed he would play the Kid this time. He was just a little better at controlling his movements, and every little bit counted with a trick like this. Kaito was playing the Kid, but this time he was just the magician’s assistant. There to draw the eye, and distract the crowd from the real trick. Kaito would wear the white suit and walk in the sky, and while everyone was watching him in awe, Aoko would make the gem disappear. Aoko would be going in as Suzuki Jirokichi himself, right at the heart of the operation, in clear view of a certain miniaturised detective. She wondered if Tantei kun would figure out their secret this time.

The first night only really needed Kaito and Jii chan, so Aoko watched from the crowd, and just appreciated the sheer skill in the Kid’s performance. By the frantic way all the detectives were running around, they were impressed too. Critics never did show their appreciation the way everyone else did, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there, if you knew how to look.

Her father for example showed how impressed he was by lots of shouting, and swearing, and declarations of war. Tantei kun on the other hand demonstrated his appreciation by running around frantically looking for clues, and forgetting that he was meant to be six years old. It was really quite cute. Although she wondered how it was that no-one else had figured out his real identity. It was, she suspected a sign of a worrying lack of imagination in the population as a whole.

…

Shinichi wondered if Sonoko would be quite so… keen on the Kid if she knew that Kid was probably a teenage girl. Possibly. Drama was a bigger factor in Sonoko’s affections than gender ever could be. Look at how she’d met Makoto.

In any case, he hadn’t told anyone about his suspicions. After all he had no proof, and given his current stature it was unlikely anyone would believe his gut feeling. And so he had to listen to Sonoko’s increasingly wild and farfetched fantasies about the thief. Given that past encounters had left him with a mental image of Kid that was uncannily similar to Ran, those fantasies were conjuring up some… interesting pictures in his mind.

Hey, he was a teenage boy. It was perfectly natural. Even if he did currently look like a six year old.

The trick this time had certainly been impressive though. He hadn’t fully managed to put the pieces together until Nakamori keibu had informed him that the Kid had an accomplice. Although really that was something he should have figured out before. Kid heists were far too elaborate to be a one man operation. He supposed it was the Kid’s sheer force of personality that had distracted him from the possibility. He wouldn’t be so careless again.

He cornered the Kid on Suzuki Jirokichi’s motorbike, and it was with a special kind of satisfaction that he’d deconstructed her trick. The Kid was a _challenge,_ and knowing he was ahead, that he’d outsmarted her, was exhilarating. He understood why Hakuba spent so much time chasing her. Although really the sexual tension between those two was just unprofessional. He’d heard _stories_ about their flirting.

And then the Kid had surprised him again, and he really shouldn’t have underestimated her ability to improvise. It was after all, what had brought her this far. He’d had a moment’s panic when the bike went up in flames, but having spotted the hang glider disappearing into the night he relaxed, and allowed himself to enjoy a moment of peaceful wonder at the Kid’s skill.

…

Dressing as an old man was a little itchy. A lot of latex, and heavy clothing involved, and she would definitely need a shower when she got home, but it was worth it for a chance to watch her father and Tantei kun up close while they worked. And Suzuki Jirokichi was a fun part to play. Being an overconfident rich man turned out to be pretty cathartic. People just _indulged_ all your ridiculous ideas. Really it made everything much too easy.

Or it would have done if Tantei kun hadn’t been involved. They really needed to stop underestimating him, because he’d actually surprised her appearing in the sidecar like that. It was a good thing he shared their flair for the dramatic, because if he’d darted her without confronting her, before she’d driven off she would probably have been arrested. The fact that he’d needed the dramatic reveal had given her the opening she needed to escape. He really was too much like them in some ways. It was adorable how insulted he sounded when Kid suggested detectives and thieves were two sides of the same coin, especially when he’d just proved her point.

Detectives were a little less stylish than thieves though. Putting a hole in the petrol tank was a bit of a crude move. Certainly not how she’d have chosen to play it. But the look on Tantei kun’s face when he saw the glider flying away made it well worth the near death experience. Whatever else happened, he would definitely be coming back to their heists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we have some of Conan's pov, to make up for the mixup on which episode was up next. As you can see he's now pretty convinced that Kid is a girl, after the two separate incidents successfully impersonating Ran, and the fact that most of his closest interactions with Kid have ended up being with Aoko.  
> Also the stories of Kid and Hakuba's flirting have been spreading, and as far as Conan knows Hakuba is straight.   
> If he thinks about it a bit more he'll probably figure out there is more than one Kid, but the idea hasn't quite occurred to him yet. Mostly because he's spent so long without proper backup himself that the idea doesn't naturally spring to mind.


	20. Under the spotlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito loves the theatre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaito and Aoko go to the theatre, Nakamori keibu takes the opportunity to show off, and Kid can't help but steal the show.

Kaito just absolutely _adored_ the theatre. The spotlights, the drama, the _glamour_ of it, the opportunity to watch fellow performers creating an entire world out of words and motion. And now he had an opportunity to be a part of it. A heist not just in a theatre, but in the middle of a performance. How could he ever resist.

It looked like Ginzou ji couldn’t resist either, because he was taking full advantage of the opportunity, to give a grand speech to the taskforce from the main stage. Ginzou ji did so love to give speeches. It just proved their point that detectives loved the spotlight just as much as magicians and phantom thieves did. It was a good speech too, well delivered, very dramatic, tailored perfectly to its target audience. Kaito was impressed. It was an unexpected reminder that Ginzou ji had been his father’s best friend in his civilian persona. Some things must have rubbed off on him.

Usually Kaito liked theatre people, actors especially, but he’d make an exception for the female lead in this play. What a bitch. Attacking the confidence of aspiring young performers was just _petty._ Her nastiness was unprofessional as well, how could she expect to win over the audience if she couldn’t even win over the rest of the cast. Honestly, what was the acting world coming to.

The girl she was snapping at was _good_ though. One of the best actors Kaito had seen in a while actually. So when he ran across her alone and she confessed how nervous crowds made her, he gave her a few tips. It was after all his duty as a more experienced performer to help encourage young people interested in the arts. Given a little experience he was sure she’d come to love the crowds the way he and Aoko did. Until then all she needed was an opportunity, and enough courage to carry her through the show.  

Aoko had come to watch of course. It wasn’t often that a heist was held in such a viewer friendly format, and Aoko did love to see the Kid’s work. There was more than one reason the two of them liked to rewatch the security footage from old heists. She was just as sceptical about the lead actress as he was, and he could just tell she was expecting him to take that woman down a peg in the process of carrying out the heist.

Well he could hardly risk disappointing his other half after all. And well the heist did require a certain amount of distraction.

…

Ginzou was expecting the Kid to cut the lights and sneak in under the cover of darkness. If he’d thought about it a little more he would have known better. He _should_ have known better. He knew the Kid, had hunted him for _years,_ and _everyone_ knew the Kid adored the spotlight.

Just like his kids really, and they were _both_ his, in all the ways that really mattered. Kaito might not have been born his son, but here and now, thirteen years after Aoko had first dragged home a scruffy but charming four year old boy, ten years after Touichi had died, and left Ginzou the only father figure a traumatised eight year old had, Kaito was as much his son as Touichi’s, and he was man enough to admit that.

But they were both Touichi’s kids too in a lot of ways, because when he was alive Touichi had _been_ there in a way Ginzou had failed to be. He was man enough to admit that now too. They were Touichi’s kids as much as his and it showed in their love of an audience, in the way they couldn’t help but put on a show. It showed in all the ways they reminded him of the Kid, and so he should have _expected_ the Kid to hijack the performance. It was, after all exactly the sort of thing Kaito kun would have done.

It was a good show though, and that was one of the things that had always in equal measure infuriated and impressed him about the Kid. He always managed to put on a show, never showed a hint of any of the pressure he must have been under. And to tell the truth, these days it always brought a faint pang of grief to the forefront of his mind. Because it had always reminded him just a little of Touichi, and his bloody frustrating poker face, that made it impossible to every really be sure how he was feeling, that made him far too good at hiding his problems, even from the people that just wanted to help. To this day he still wondered, if he’d been better able to see past Touichi’s mask, could he have helped him. Would things have played out any differently to how they did.

Still there was no use wondering. Touichi was ten years dead, Ginzou had a job to do, and the bloody Kid had just inserted himself into a live theatre performance, with a set of criminally cheesy lines. He wasn’t sure _why_ the thief had decided to single out one of the extras and make her the star of his little improvisation, honestly he wasn’t sure the Kid ever needed an actual _reason_ to do half the things he did, but whatever it was Ginzou knew his own part well enough, as he roared.

“Kaitou Kid!”

…

In the end Kid just couldn’t resist making himself the fairy godmother figure. It was after all at the heart of what magicians did. Making the impossible possible, and making people smile in the process. Megumi chan didn’t disappoint when offered the spotlight. She panicked for a moment, but she had good performance instincts, none of the audience saw her flinch, and after Kaito gave her a moment of reassurance, she knew _exactly_ what to do to win them over. The prince was pretty good as well, quick to adapt, and something told the Kid he’d just been _waiting_ for an opportunity to humiliate the lead actress. After all Kid knew better than anyone just how vindictive showmen could be when given cause.

With his help Megumi chan pretty much stole the show, and Kid knew, from the look in her eyes when she came up to take her bow, she’d never be afraid of the audience again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone else noticed just how much fun Nakamori has giving his speeches. In their own ways he and Touichi were just as bad as each other.
> 
> No Nakamori doesn't suspect Kaito and Aoko, remember he's seen them both at heists quite a few times by this point, and in any case he doesn't want to suspect them. He did used to suspect Touichi sometimes though, even though he really didn't want to.


	21. Lead by example

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoko and Kaito hadn't realised Tantei kun had minions. It was adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aoko's on a side job when Tantei kun shows up, and alarms her with his lack of self preservation. The fact that his minions seem to be following his example is alarming in its own right.

It was meant to be a quick in and out job. A double check on a treasure that no-one had seen in a hundred years, just to make sure it wasn’t what they were looking for. Certainly not anything that required a full heist, or even that anyone knew they’d been there in the first place. It was in fact so low profile that Kaito had stayed home, plotting their next big project, and catching up on both their homework. It was lucky Aoko had even remembered to bring the suit.

Really she supposed they had been tempting fate, because right after she’d finished their mission, Tantei kun had showed up, in all his mystery seeking glory. She knew better than to hope that he’d leave well enough alone for once, and she was right. It took all of ten minutes for him and his little gang of mini detectives to start investigating the treasure, and that was _after_ finding the dead body in the lake. Tantei kun really did have absolutely no sense of self-preservation at all. Jii chan would say that was probably a little hypocritical considering, but he hadn’t seen Tantei kun in action.

And the other kids were _worse._ She was about ninety percent sure that they were _actual_ kids, either that or they were much better actors than Tantei kun was. Well, most of them were actual kids. She was a bit suspicious about that one girl. That one gave her cold chills down her spine, and while she didn’t draw attention to herself, it was clear to anyone watching closely enough that she was as smart as Tantei kun. But whether she was a real child or not, the fact was that she and Tantei kun were both child sized, and the other three were almost certainly actual children, and leaving them all to wander into that deathtrap of a house on their own was not the sort of thing decent people did.

Aoko wasn’t sure _why_ Tantei kun had small children following him around trying to solve mysteries with him. The Kid could think of several reasons it might be fun to have a gang of mini followers, but fun didn’t really seem to be a driving factor in Tantei kun’s decision making. Maybe it was supposed to be camouflage, to make him look more like a normal child. Although if that was Tantei kun’s plan it was seriously flawed because standing next to real kids just made him look even more obviously out of place. Maybe the Kid should kidnap him for a few days for an intensive acting course. For his own good. Because as a professional performer it was almost painful to watch him.

After a certain amount of observation she revised her assumptions. Those kids were _persistent._ Clearly the minions weren’t Tantei kun’s idea at all. She sincerely doubted that Tantei kun had _any_ say whatsoever in what those kids did and didn’t do. _Good,_ Aoko decided. Tantei kun needed someone to drag him out of his shell a bit, and it looked like the kids did an excellent job of that when Aoko and Kaito weren’t available.

…

She’d wrapped up her actual investigation of the jewel quickly enough, and really it was a good thing it was Aoko, not Kaito who’d won the coin toss this time, because given that Kaito still hadn’t managed to get over the… _thing_ with the fish, the final dive into the lake full of carp _might_ just have ended up a sticking point. But then, that was half the reason there were two of them, they could cover for each other’s… little issues so that alarmingly competent detectives couldn’t use them against them. Mission accomplished and it had been half whim, half a sense of obligation that had Kid disguising as an old woman to keep a closer eye on the children. Decent people didn’t let small children walk into booby trapped buildings unsupervised after all, especially not ones designed by insane geniuses like Kichimon. Besides, it looked like it might be entertaining, as long as no-one else got killed. Some of those mechanisms were just diabolical. Kid had been tempted to take notes.

…

Kid was definitely right to intervene. The biggest mini Tantei, Genta she thought his name was, nearly managed to get himself sliced and diced by one of those traps. Kid had to dash ahead and trigger the trap herself to stop him. That was probably when Tantei kun figured out she was the Kid actually, because the fluid economy of her movement as she dodged the blades was not something an old lady should have. And then instead of doing what any sane or reasonable person would do when confronted with a deathtrap with swinging blades, which was to back away slowly and be very thankful for the narrow escape, he instead charged straight into it and used the blade as a demented rope swing to get to the sword.

And yes it was true Kid had done exactly the same thing about an hour earlier, but no one ever claimed the Kid was sane or reasonable. In fact several profilers had informed the task force that Kid was almost definitely completely insane. Kaitou Kid was not a good standard by which to determine sensible behaviour, and Tantei kun of all people should know that.

But then, detectives did have their own special brand of recklessness. Mostly tied in to solving puzzles, and that was what all treasure hunts were at the core of it. And of course Tantei kun had figured out the clues. Kid expected no less of one of their favourite critics, even if Aoko felt like beating her head slowly against a brick wall at his utter disregard for personal safety.

For heavens sake he’d nearly drowned them all, _and_ nearly got them all shot within the same five minutes. He _had_ figured out the murderer as well though, and seeing Tantei kun at work would never not be a treat to watch. Almost as much of a treat as flying off into the night right after he’d unmasked them always was. He always looked so _outraged,_ as if the very idea of someone _not_ surrendering after one of his little deduction shows was an insult.

It was almost disappointing that he’d decided not to even try and stop her this time. But then, she had saved his friend’s life, and if that was how Tantei kun wanted to pay the debt that was his business. They would just have to have more fun with him next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry no Conan pov this time. But we get a fair bit of his perspective next chapter for the four masterpieces incident. I've started to run out of MK episodes, so I'll be spacing them out with more DC episodes, to avoid running out before i'm ready.  
> And yes Conan is still convinced Kid is a girl. He hasn't figured out that there's two of them yet.


	22. Matters of principle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is trying to frame the Kid for murder. It's a good thing Tantei kun is there to deal with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito gets to play with Tantei kun, and has to suppress the urge to steal him.  
> Also impostors make Kaito very very angry.

Sometimes it really did make Kaito angry, the way people tried to frame the Kid for their own misdeeds, sent out fake heist notes, and conducted fake thefts, and expected the world to believe them. Especially when they did things the Kid would _never_ do, crossed lines they’d repeatedly proved they wouldn’t cross, when they tried to drag them into their sickening schemes of violence, and petty spite, and murder. It made him angry coldly bitterly angry, and it also made him hurt, deep down where no-one but Aoko would ever see.

If they’d just been accusing him that was one thing. He could take it. His pride was not a fragile enough thing to be damaged by common criminals, and he could defend himself. He could defend himself, but it was the Kid they accused, the Kid they tried to frame, and the Kid was more than just Kaito. Kid was Aoko as well, other self, beloved, partner, and no-one got to slander Aoko’s good name where Kaito could hear it.

But even that would have been, not ok, attacks on Aoko were never ok, but manageable. Aoko was after all his other self, and they were both fully capable of avenging themselves for any insults that hit home. She could defend herself just as well as he could defend himself.

No the thing that really cut to the bone, was that the Kid wasn’t just Kaito, or Aoko. It was Touichi as well, and Kuroba Touichi was far too dead to defend himself. The white cape of the Kid had become their father’s burial shroud and every time they wore it they became his ghost, and the _thought_ of those petty grubby _murderers,_ using and tainting the name that had been his, fed a cold poisonous lump of anger in Kaito’s chest.  

The anger was eased a little by Nakamori keibu’s show of faith, his declaration that the Kid would _never_ steal a life, and his decision to leave the investigation to division one. That felt good, his opinion mattered to them, _he_ at least knew them, knew _Kid_ well enough not to doubt his principles. But still, that someone had thought the plan stood even a chance of working, well, if Tantei kun hadn’t been there he would probably have destroyed that painter himself.

At least it gave him a chance to play with Tantei kun. For some reason it usually seemed to be Aoko who ended up closest to their cutest critic, so it was good to get some one on one time. Aoko was watching from the crowd ready to offer backup if things got dicey, but for now he was the Kid, and so he was the one that got to mess around with Tantei kun. Admittedly demonstrating that trick had probably been a bit on the nose, but he wanted Tantei kun to _destroy_ that bastard in that special way that only he could manage, and if being a little unsubtle could help speed up that process, well once he’d dyed his entire classroom rainbow in honour of Edoka Pride, he could do unsubtle if he felt like it.

Tantei kun really was adorable, when psychologically demolishing murderers. Kaito almost thought that man was about to _cry_ after Tantei kun was done with him. Adorably vicious, like a baby cobra, Kaito was very tempted to take him home and keep him. Jii would probably disapprove though, and Tantei san would _definitely_ disapprove, even if they promised to feed him properly and take him for walks every day. Upsetting Tantei san would probably make it harder to convince him to marry them, so maybe they should hold off on that plan until after they’d managed to convince him kids were a good idea. Although, by the time they’d managed to wear Tantei san down Tantei kun would probably be all grown up again.

_Someone_ needed to get that boy some acting lessons though, it was a _miracle_ so few people had figured him out. The achingly false sugar sweet tone set Kaito’s teeth on edge. It was probably only the fact that most people didn’t believe in magic that was holding Tantei kun’s cover together. Maybe they could just kidnap him temporarily, for a weekend, just to give him some basic pointers. And maybe dress him up in a couple of adorable outfits Aoko had found online.

He liked his current disguise though, it had layers. There had been no actual heist to plan so he and Aoko had gone all out on the disguises. He was disguised as Takagi keiji, and Takagi keiji was unconscious and primed to be discovered disguised as Chiba keiji, and Aoko was blending into the crowd with a nondescript costume, while sitting on yet another Chiba disguise ready to swoop in and cause added confusion if needed. It was all very complicated and exciting.

He could see why Tantei kun liked Takagi though. He was a nice guy, and a lot sharper than he first appeared, if the difficulty he given Kaito in subduing him was any indicator. And he had excellent taste in women. Sato keiji was terrifying in all the most impressive ways. Kaito kind of wanted to _be_ her when he grew up, well aside from the detective bit, that wasn’t really his style. And then Tantei kun had asked him to help with the final show, and Kaito felt all warm and fluttery inside. Tantei kun had to have figured out his disguise by that point but he’d asked for his help anyway, which meant that he _did_ like them.

Although, clearly him liking them didn’t make him any less willing to kick lethal velocity footballs at them. That had _really_ hurt. And he’d had to use a really cheap distraction technique to get away at all. Sloppy, sloppy, he could hear Aoko giggling in his earpiece and he couldn’t even pretend he didn’t deserve it. If Aoko had been that sloppy he’d be holding it over her for _weeks._ Note to self, in the future, keep an eye on Tantei kun’s feet, because that kick was terrifying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Aoko have absolutely already planned out theirs and Hakuba's wedding. Hakuba knows nothing about this.   
> Golden eye case next, and then a few more dc episodes, and then i'm probably going to have to make up a few heists, to get things where I want them to be for the Knighmare incident.   
> I have a vague idea for one involving both Hakuba and Hattori, in which Hattori mocks Hakuba mercilessly for how obviously he and Kid are an item, and Hakuba denies it, desperately, as though if he denies it enough it won't be happening.


	23. International criminals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito and Aoko are having the best day ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Hakuba accidentally escalates his relationship with the composite entity known as the Kaitou Kid, and the Kid faces off with a colleague from France, who they find they get on with like a house on fire.

Kaito put down the phone feeling utterly invincible. Tantei san loved them. Not that Kaito had ever doubted his interest of course, but there was a difference between flirting and a serious declaration, and Tantei san had just crossed it. He had as good as admitted it. He’d called Kaito all the way from France, to give him his deductions about Chat Noir and _everyone_ knew deductions were like the detective equivalent of producing roses out of thin air. A romantic gift and a chance to show off all in one, Kaito would be lying if he said it didn’t make his heart flutter. And then he’d told them to do their best, that he wanted them to win. He told them he didn’t want them to lose to anyone until he caught them. It was as good as a confession, and Kaito allowed himself to grin in excitement at the revelation. Best heist ever.

Aoko nearly squealed when he repeated the conversation for her, in the appropriate voices of course, to convey all the nuances. She’d already been having a wonderful time, chatting with their French rival. Not that Chat Noir knew who she was talking to of course, but that only made it more fun really. Just imagining the look on her face when she figured it out. Honestly, Aoko confessed, it hadn’t been until the slipup with the birthstones that Aoko had realised who she was talking to. Chat Noir was _good_ , and daring and dramatic, in that way that was special to phantom thieves. It took a particular sort of nerve to pose as an investigator of her own crimes in the middle of a trap set specifically for her, not many people would do that. Aoko and Kaito had done similar things of course but then, they were phantom thieves too. It was interesting, talking to a colleague who thought in so many of the same ways as them, without being tangled up with them the way they were with each other. Maybe this feeling was why Tantei kun spent so much time with that Osaka detective, who they really should get to know better.

But if she was happy about talking to Chat Noir, it was nothing to the sheer glee when Kaito told her what Hakuba had said. Or was it Saguru kun now he wondered, a love confession was probably enough to put them on first name terms wasn’t it, Saguru kun then. Aoko looked half ready to levitate off the floor with excitement, and honestly he felt the same, but there was a heist to perform, and it wouldn’t do to disappoint their foreign guest when she’d travelled so far to challenge them. Aoko was backup so she delivered the jewel to Jii, while Kaito put on a show for a thief that it looked like they had more in common with than they’d first thought.

It was a good show, he and Aoko had gone all out to impress their colleague, dragged out some of their most effective tricks from previous heists along with some new ones to create a work of art. He was particularly proud of the disguise he’d put on the unconscious officer, that trick never failed to sow confusion in the ranks of the opposition. Ginzou ji had looked almost a little _too_ gleeful to be pouncing on Cartier san, but then, Kaito had been present for Ginzou ji’s carefully controlled panic over the possibility of Chat Noir chopping his finger off over that guy’s plan, it had clearly upset him more than he was willing to admit. So Kaito supposed the man had it coming really. He really wouldn’t put it past Nakamori keibu to have figured out the trick and let it slide in favour of a little payback. It wasn’t the first time Kid had used that trick after all, and Nakamori keibu had been Tousan’s favourite detective for a reason.

He was impressed by the phone call from Chat Noir, looked like he wasn’t the only keen to show off a little for a colleague. She’d managed to figure out his escape route and the timings with pinpoint accuracy. Chat Noir was _good_ at what they did. He was even more impressed at how well she took his outsmarting her. Not many people laughed when they lost to the Kid, not even his favourite Tantei’s. Honestly, the more he and Aoko talked to her the more they liked her, they really should keep in touch with her. Maybe they should take a trip to Paris sometime, they could bring Saguru kun, make a romantic weekend of it. They could do a heist with Chat Noir, and Saguru kun could chase them, and then they could go for a romantic candlelit dinner afterwards.

And Chat Noir _understood,_ maybe better than anyone except Aoko, and Aoko was so much a part of him she barely counted. They had similar talents, similar ways of working, such a similar motivation for their work. After all, Chat Noir wasn’t the only one in mourning colours, and he was sure she’d picked up on his when he pointed out hers. She was after all, very smart, and very very good at what they did. He was pretty sure she’d figured out his identity by the end, although probably not Aoko’s. That could be a challenge for their next meeting, it always took people longer to figure Aoko out.

He and Aoko liked Chat Noir, so he took the phone with him when he left. After all, there was no way to know when a way to contact a fellow phantom could be useful.

Of course with the heist done came the real challenge. How to surprise Saguru kun when he came home. Obviously they should kiss him, but he was torn about whether it should be in or out of costume. When he voiced his concerns though, Aoko told him he was being an idiot, and that obviously they should do both. Sometimes he really didn’t know what he’d do without her. Fail miserably at having a love life probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba doesn't know what he's done yet. He'll find out when he gets home, and all three of the Kid's identities pounce.  
> And next chapter they will meet Hattori. Hakuba isn't jealous or insecure about that. Not at all. Other adult detectives can chase the Kid if they want, he doesn't care.   
> Chat Noir may well reappear in this fic, because she was a fun character to write, and Kid deserves a Hattori of their very own.


	24. Stolen hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid might, possibly, have some possessive tendencies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saguru comes back from the detective koushien ranting about Hattori. Kaito and Aoko feel threatened. So they go to Osaka to make sure Tantei han doesn't try and steal their Saguru.

Aoko wasn’t jealous. Not in the slightest. Their Tantei san had made his commitment to them quite clear, when he phoned them from Paris just to deduce for them. Just because Saguru kun had spent the last week complaining about some Hattori Heiji person was no reason to feel insecure. Even if the last person he'd complained that much about was the Kid. It didn’t _mean_ anything. They were still his favourites.

But just because she trusted Saguru kun, didn’t mean this rival detective wouldn’t try to steal him. She may have hovered over Saguru kun a little obnoxiously for most of the week. Up until the point that Kaito told her to stop being ridiculous, there was an easy way to deal with the situation. They’d just have to go to Osaka and make it clear to this Hattori person that their Tantei san was taken. Kaito always had the _best_ plans.

…

It was a weekend heist of course. Had to be considering the distance constraints. Making their setup portable enough to take on the train with them had been an interesting challenge in itself. The heist itself was fairly straightforward, after all, the jewel wasn’t the main goal of this endeavour. Not that it wasn’t very pretty. But Tantei san was prettier, both Kaito and Aoko were fully agreed.

Tantei han was _fun_ though, they’d probably like him a lot if it weren’t for the fear on him stealing their Tantei san. They’d have to challenge him again at some point, once everything was straightened out. He was just a bit more reckless than their usual critics, enough of an adrenaline junkie in his own right to almost catch them off guard. They really hadn’t been expecting him to catch up to them so soon.

Kaito was the Kid, mostly, there had been some costume switching involved in the heist to pull off some of the necessary misdirections. But it was Kaito who confronted Tantei han as Kid, while Aoko watched from the shadows.

They’d wrapped Tantei han up in bright pink ribbons to hold him still while they talked. He’d been pretty annoyed about that, and it was good to know that their talent for irritating detectives was as effective as ever. After he’d finished ranting Kaito had leaned in.

“Our Tantei san has told us a lot about you Tantei han.” He said smoothly. Tantei han just looked confused.

“Who the hell is Tantei san?”

“Tantei san is Tantei san. He came alllll the way from England to chase me.” Tantei han’s expression cleared.

“Oh you mean that Hakuba bastard. I’d heard he chased Kid a lot.” Kid frowned a little.

“Now now Tantei han no need to be rude. I’m just here to make sure you understand you’re not to bother Tantei san too much. Tormenting Tantei san is the Kid’s job.” Tantei han just snorted.

“Hey, I don’t want to spend anymore time than I have to with that guy. If he stays away from me, I’ll stay away from him and there’ll be no problems.” Kid narrowed his eyes. Tantei han wasn’t taking this nearly seriously enough. He leaned in with the smooth unpredictable menace that had taken them _months_ to perfect.

“I don’t think you understand. Tantei san is _ours._ He even called us up from _Paris_ to give us _deductions._ ” Kid allowed himself to drift back a step with a dreamy smile on his face at the memory. Tantei han just looked at him warily.

…

The Kid was _weird._ Even more weird than Kudo had led him to believe to be honest. For starters there was the way he kept forgetting not to use plurals when talking about himself, not to mention the occasional slips into third person. It was either a sign of megalomania, or some kind of identity disorder, either way, not exactly stable. And then there was the fact that Kid had singled him out and tied him up on the rooftop apparently so they could have a conversation about Hakuba. It was very bizarre, and the sheer unpredictability of Kid’s mood was honestly a bit unsettling.

Well it was upsetting to start with. Then Heiji realised what the conversation was actually about and it just became hilarious. The Kid was trying to warn Heiji off his boyfriend. Hakuba Saguru, the most rule bound, order fixated, bastard in the world, was dating a criminal that was pretty much the living embodiment of chaos. Heiji wondered if Hakuba actually knew they were dating, or if they’d be halfway through whatever wedding the Kid planned before it finally hit home. Either way it was one of the funniest things Heiji had heard in ages.

Still it would probably be best to reassure the unstable, possessive, international criminal that Heiji had no plans to steal his boyfriend and that it was in fact a genuine dislike, not some sort of warped sexual tension. The Kid relaxed a bit when he admitted that there was someone else he liked, and relaxed some more when he assured him that he thought Kid would be good for Hakuba and might help him relax a bit. It wasn’t even a lie, although admittedly he may have had some ulterior motives for encouraging the relationship, the amusement value was just too good not to take advantage of.

He called Kudo as soon as the Kid had left. Some things were just meant to be shared.

…

Shinichi had been happily curled up in bed sleeping when Hattori called. He really didn’t know why he even bothered being surprised at this point, that guy followed his own schedule, and all anyone else could do was just go with it.

“Hey Kudo guess what.” He seemed excited this time. Maybe he was calling about the Kid heist. “You know how that Kaitou Kid did a heist here in Osaka tonight.” Shinichi allowed himself a smug grin, nailed it. “Well I went, and I met the Kid.”

“Yeah and?” Shinichi yawned and took a sip of water, wishing it was coffess. He needed coffee. It was really far too early in the morning to be dissecting a Kid heist.

“And it turns out the Kid is dating Hakuba Saguru, and staged the whole heist to warn me off trying to steal his boyfriend.” Shinichi choked on his drink.

“What?” he demanded flatly.

“Yeah it turns out mentally unstable phantom thieves are kind of possessive. Who knew?”

“I can’t imagine Hakuba dating a criminal, Hattori. Are you sure?”

“You’re assuming Hakuba even knows what he’s doing. I reckon there’s about a fifty fifty chance he won’t realise he’s in a relationship until they’re actually getting married.” Shinichi thought about that, and about what he knew of Kid. It actually made a fairly warped kind of sense. He tried to look on the bright side. Maybe having a girlfriend would help Hakuba loosen up a bit. Certainly having Kid for a girlfriend would have to make him relax, either that or have some sort of nervous breakdown.

Actually it was kind of reassuring to think about someone with a more messed up love life than his own. Like he wasn’t an utter failure at all things emotional after all. Reassuring and entertaining, in a way he didn’t even have to feel all that guilty about. It was like the premise for a rom com. Really, aside from the obvious… contrast in personality, they actually did have a lot in common, they were both very charming when they wanted to be, and very smart. It wasn’t a _bad_ match, if you discounted the whole wanted criminal/detective sworn to capture them thing. And Hattori was right it was pretty funny, the idea of chaos in a white suit dating the overly serious detective.

…

Overall Aoko was counting the Osaka trip as a success. They’d checked the jewel, made sure Tantei han wasn’t trying to steal their Saguru kun, caused general havoc and mayhem, and acquired an entertaining new critic. Not bad for a weekend’s work. Saguru kun _had_ been giving them both some odd looks since they’d got back, she might almost have called them jealousy except she had no idea why he’d be jealous. Maybe he was just disappointed he’d had to miss the heist to catch up on homework. That would make sense. Oh well, they’d just have to do another heist soon to cheer him up. Kid could give him roses during it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This incident never happened in canon, but it immediately follows the detective koushien where Hakuba and Hattori met and experienced dislike at first sight.
> 
> Shinichi still thinks Kid is a girl. Heiji thinks Kid is a guy. Both of them think it's hilarious that Kid has almost certainly unilaterally decided they're dating Hakuba.   
> The really hilarious thing is that Hakuba is now jealous and afraid Kid is replacing him with Hattori.


	25. Bring your own popcorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saguru might, possibly, be just as possesive as Kid. He also might have slightly misinterpreted Kid's trip to Osaka. Shinichi finds the whole thing absolutely hilarious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kid invites all their favourite detectives to one heist. Saguru gets briefly overwhelmed by his caveman instincts. Shinichi enjoys watching other people make idiots of themselves, and Hattori really does not want to date either Kid, or Hakuba, and thinks they really ought to try and work out their insecurities.

Kaito and Aoko were excited. Tantei han was coming to Tokyo to visit Tantei kun, which meant, that if they scheduled things right, they could have all of their favourite Tanteis together on one heist. It would be so, much, fun. It would also give them a chance to confirm that Tantei han had told the truth about not being interested in their Tantei san.

Of course they’d have to organise something pretty special if all the Tanteis were going to be there. Kaito giggled at the thought of all their clever clever detectives baffled and amazed by one of their tricks. He was Aoko today so it was ok to giggle. Not that being Kaito would stop him, but he got less suspicious looks from darling Saguru kun when he was in skirts. One of those gender stereotypes it was important to keep in mind when in disguise.

Although recently Saguru kun had been giving them both a lot of odd looks regardless of what they were actually doing. Aoko reckoned it was because he was trying to figure out how to tell them apart because he had some kind of silly moral hangups about not being able to tell the difference between the people he was dating. At some point they really would have to explain that it didn’t really matter which of them was which. Until then though it was a wonderful opportunity to mess with their boyfriend.

Kaito sat down beside Saguru kun, just a little closer than a friend would and leaned over to investigate the book he was reading. Sherlock Holmes again, he really should branch out a bit. Not that there was anything wrong with the classics, but Kaito was pretty sure Saguru kun had read all the Sherlock Holmes books multiple times already. He smiled Aoko’s shy, friendly smile at Saguru, and was rewarded by Saguru putting the book down to smile back at her, charming and sophisticated, all neatness and control. It made Kaito as Aoko want to break that perfect composure somehow, leave him flustered and completely off balance. Kaito wasn’t sure if it would be more fun to pull a prank on him or just kiss him silly, but right now he couldn’t do either. He couldn’t pull pranks while he was Aoko, and to kiss him here and now, in class, without any preparation would upset all the careful planning Kaito and Aoko had done on the subject, it was a dilemma. Luckily before his self-restraint could be tested to the limit, the bell rang, and class began.

…

Saguru did not feel equipped to deal with this. At some point in the last year he had completely lost control of his life. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment where it spiralled out of control but he suspected it started the day he first met Kid. They had that effect, they were insanity incarnate, both of them, everything they touched turned to utter chaos. And now Saguru couldn’t take his eyes off them, couldn’t stop thinking about them. Somehow, at some point, he’d fallen under their spell, and when, after the most recent heist he’d found himself quietly plotting the murder of Hattori Heiji he’d realised he might, possibly be in over his head.

He just didn’t understand _why._ Why did they go to Osaka, why did they invite Hattori of all people to a heist but not him? Why were they suddenly being so touchy feely with him at school but snubbing him when it came to extracurricular activities? Saguru wasn’t too proud to admit he was jealous. Jealous and confused. He _thought_ maybe he was dating Kaito and Aoko now, it wasn’t very clear, but they were demanding a lot more of his attention since he got back from his holiday in France. But if so, then why was Kid hanging around in Osaka with that idiot Hattori. Shouldn’t Kid be challenging him?

Well, at least the heist tonight should be return to the way things ought to be. A proper heist, just Kid, and him, and the taskforce.

Saguru may have reacted badly when Hattori showed up at the heist, along with Edogawa. He knew he was being ridiculous, but there was a caveman voice at the back of his head  that kept growling that they wanted to steal _his_ thief, his Kaito, his Aoko, and he just couldn’t get it to shut up. It was embarrassingly irrational, and the worst part was, Saguru was pretty sure Edogawa was trying not to laugh at him. Even a six year old could see how absurd he was being.

…

Coming on this heist had _definitely_ been the right decision, Shinichi decided. Hattori had been in town, and it had seemed like a good opportunity to test his theory about the relationship between Hakuba Saguru and the Kid, at the same time as enjoying the challenge of a Kid heist. They had expected a certain amount of entertainment, they had been rewarded beyond their wildest dreams.

Hakuba was full on glowing green eyes _jealous_ about the heist Kid had run in Osaka a couple of weeks ago. It was hilarious to watch the normally calm, collected, logical, detective unable to deal with the prospect of being replaced. It was even more hilarious in light of the reason Kid had gone to Osaka in the first place. Kid had gone to warn Hattori off of Hakuba, so now Hakuba thought Kid was going to leave him for Hattori. Shinichi just wished he’d brought popcorn, because this was even more entertaining than Hattori’s ongoing increasingly disasterous attempts to confess to Kazuha, and an excellent distraction from his own trainwreck of a love life.

The heist itself was fun, Shinichi didn’t know _where_ Kid had gotten that much glitter from, but he’d managed to duck the worst of it and now he’d be able to make sparkly vampire jokes at Hattori for _weeks._ Watching Kid flirting with Hakuba though, had been even more fun. The bit where Kid had proudly presented a glitter encrusted armful of roses to an equally glittery and furious Hakuba, was Shinichi’s personal favourite. Hattori preferred the bit where Hakuba had managed to get a set of handcuffs on the Kid with an utterly inappropriate innuendo about having Kid all tied up. The whole thing though, was quality entertainment, and by the end of it he and Hattori were pretty sure Hakuba and Kid were in fact dating. Now if they could just agree on whether the Kid was male or female, Shinichi said female, Hattori said probably male, it was impossible to get a definitive answer either way. Shinichi wondered idly if Hakuba knew, or even if he cared. Dating the Kid would probably imply a certain degree of flexibility, considering how convincingly he or she cross-dressed. He glanced at his fuming fellow detective as the white hang glider disappeared into the night. On balance they should probably wait for Hakuba to calm down a bit before they asked that question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another non canon incident, meant to entertain, and also resolve the Saguru, Heiji jealousy issue. Next chapter is the Dark Knight, so angst warning, because there is no way to make that episode happy, or amusing, without changing the course of events. On the plus side there will be fluffy cuddles when it's over.  
> So yeah, Hakuba is about seventy per cent sure he's dating Kaito and Aoko. They haven't exactly come out and said it directly, but then why would they be direct about something when they could be annoying and cryptic instead.  
> He is attracted to them, and does want to date them. But a little clarity would be appreciated.  
> Hattori is flattered that both Kid and Hakuba think he's attractive enough to try and steal their love interest, but also kind of annoyed that he's become a pawn for them to express their own insecurities.  
> Shinichi takes his entertainment where he can find it.


	26. Bad night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad things happen when magicians lose control of the situation. The higher the stakes the worse it gets and the stakes have been far too high for far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which things go very very wrong, everyone needs cuddles, and Saguru comes to a very poorly timed realisation.

A call from a man named Nightmare, threats, and manipulations, and a demand for their compliance, and Kaito knew they were in trouble. He knew too much, this mysterious stranger, he knew about _Jiichan,_ and that thought sent cold chills down Kaito’s spine. He couldn’t lose Jiichan, he couldn’t, he and Aoko had both lost far too many people already. One call, and the situation was spiralling so far out of their control it left Kaito dizzy. He agreed to the man’s terms, to the heist that he proposed, and he knew that the man had no intention of letting the Kid walk away from this.

The situation was spiralling out of control in all the worst ways and from the start Kaito had known none of this could end well. Control was in the end at the heart of magic, of any performance. When that control slipped, well, bad things happened when magicians lost control of a situation, and the higher the stakes, the worse the consequences.

Kaito and Aoko had been playing for very high stakes indeed this last year.

They had at least, managed to delay Tantei san. Kept him from getting caught up in anything but the aftermath. He wouldn’t thank them for it, he was a detective, he had no sense of self preservation, but Kaito was glad of that small mercy. It would have done Saguru no good to be caught up in that shitshow. At least he’d been spared.

It wasn’t enough.

Kid sat on the floor of the secret room in full costume and tried not to shake. A man died today, right in front of Kaito’s eyes. A man died while his son watched and wasn’t that a horrifyingly familiar scene. A man died and Kaito hadn’t been able to save him. He’d known it would end badly, but still he hadn’t expected _this._

Aoko came in quietly, but not so quiet he couldn’t hear her coming. She was shaking too as she stripped away the ghost white layers of Kid until it was just Kaito standing in front of her, mostly naked and far too human. She was as pale as he was, and there were tears in her eyes that she refused to shed, as she took him by the hand and dragged him to his bed.

He was silent as she wrapped him up warm in blankets, and then followed him under the covers, clinging tight to each other, the way they used to when Tousan had just died, and the two of them just couldn’t bear the terrible loneliness of grief.

“Nobody gets hurt.” He said eventually, voice hollow. “Nobody’s supposed to get hurt.” Aoko stifled a sob, while he stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Wasn’t your fault.” She mumbled into his shoulder. “You tried to catch him.”

“Tried and failed.” And it ached deep down, to know that he’d failed them all, himself, Aoko, the Kid, he had let death intrude upon a heist, the one place it had no business being.

“Well I failed to keep Kenta kun away from the heist. He saw everything Kaito. And it was my fault.” It eased something in his chest, to know that Aoko blamed herself as much as he blamed himself, that they were still that much alike. And it wasn’t Aoko’s fault, he knew that, and if it wasn’t Aoko’s fault then maybe it wasn’t his fault either. Maybe it was just one of those awful things that happened. Maybe.

He wrapped his arms tighter around Aoko and tried to convince himself of that.

…

The heist had been a disaster. And Saguru had learned in the last year of chasing the Kid not to use that word lightly. He’d known, from the moment he’d realised Kid had _arranged_ for him to be delayed, to arrive late to the heist, that something was wrong. He’d been worried from the moment he’d known Nightmare was involved, the man had a certain reputation, but it was only when he realised Kid had tried to keep him away, to protect him, that Saguru knew the Kid was running scared.

Snipers on the rooftops didn’t make Kid run scared. Saguru had a cold sinking feeling in his gut that something was going to go very wrong on this heist.

And he’d been right, but not in any of the ways he’d expected. He blinked trying to banish the image of a small child crying over his father’s body, a black mask knocked away by a playing card, a white glove graped in the dead man’s hand.

He didn’t know which Kid had tried to save Connery’s life, which one had slipped up and allowed Kenta to see his father’s body. In the end he wasn’t sure it mattered, they’d both be equally broken by this, and he found that more than anything he wanted to leave the crime scene, wanted to go and comfort them. It surprised him. He’d known, vaguely that the Kid meant a lot to him, that he felt, something, for Kaito and Aoko that went beyond simple attraction. But he hadn’t really registered how much he cared, how much they meant to him, until that moment.

He thought of Aoko in tears, of the coldness in Kaito’s eyes as he buried his feelings between an ice cold poker face, and it _hurt,_ right down to the soul. He loved them, and wasn’t this a terrible time to have that realisation, and about a _thief_ of all people. He loved them, he couldn’t lie to himself about that, he wanted to go to them, to hold them both tight, and tell them none of it was their fault, and promise he’d be there for them.

In the end though, he had to trust them to look after each other. He had work to do here, if Connory’s secret was to be kept, and if Kid had shot his mask off then, it was because he wanted that secret kept. Probably for Kenta’s sake, the only mercy the Kid could offer another little boy who saw his father, his hero, a criminal, die in front of him. It wasn’t enough, but it was the best he could do. Saguru could respect that, he might be a detective, bound to the truth, but he was human too and some things mattered more than truth. So he would write up his reports and help keep that secret, for Kenta’s sake, and for Kaito’s. That was the only thing _he_ could do to make this situation just a little less awful. He would check up on Kaito and Aoko in class tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. There really aren't many ways to make that episode funny, without heading into very dark humour indeed. I made it as fluffy as possible though. Cuddles make everything better.


	27. The ever changing rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited teleportation episode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kid has many layers of meaning to their heists and Conan gets outmanoeuvred.

Layers upon layers, masks on top of masks. A trick within a trick there just for their Tantei kun, for who else would have, could have seen past the surface with their Tantei san away in England, and Tantei han still in Osaka. Most would never see past the first trick, would never see it as anything but inexplicable, but their sharp little Tantei kun, he would, he always did. So for him there was a second layer, one trick to cover the other, and Kid couldn’t wait to see Tantei kun’s confusion, his delight at a puzzle he couldn’t solve as easy as breathing. Two tricks that looked like one, just as there were two Kids that looked like one, and Kaito wondered if Tantei kun would understand the message. After all it was really past time he figured out there was more than one of them. Tantei san had known for _ages_ and even if he _did_ have something of an advantage, knowing their everyday persona’s it wasn’t right for Tantei kun to be so far behind.

In a way it was actually good that their darling Tantei san couldn’t be there. Not that they didn’t miss him of course, but poor Tantei kun deserved a chance to shine, he got so few opportunities to show his brilliance, to play the game, trapped as he was in a child’s body. No one really took him seriously, no one really _looked_ , and while they might all deny it, detectives were at heart no different to any other perfomers. Something in them _starved_ without an audience, without a show, and so, in the interests of supporting a fellow showman, it was practically Kid’s _duty_ to let Tantei kun share his stage now and then.

Making it a proper challenge for Tantei kun at such short notice had been its own kind of magic trick. Suzuki Jirokichi was a cannier soul than he appeared on the surface, he wore the mask of a fool well, but he knew how to set the world to his advantage. It was just a good thing the two of them were good at coming up with plans on the fly. Kaito had thought teleportation, had thought of games with light and shadow and perception, and Aoko had followed with the thought of two tricks that looked the same but weren’t, a trick for those who saw through tricks. And then they smiled together, in that perfect harmony that made all things possible, and the whole universe opened up at their feet.

The first night was Kaito alone. It required only one Kid, and Jiichan to play magician’s assistant. So Aoko watched the show from the crowds under an unremarkable face as they both so often did when there was no pressing reason _not_ to attend each other’s heists. It was after all so gratifying to see the Kid in action, and it was good to have backup, in case of unforeseen circumstances. The trick was an elegant one, it flowed like light and shadow. Appear in smoke and moon washed white, disappear again in smoke and shadow touched black. He let the guard touch his cape, leave a mark, made sure to let it show on the cameras. Kid was fully confident Tantei kun would notice, and would be wracking his brains trying to figure out how Kid had got from one place to the other so quickly, unseen. It would fix it in his mind, that the trick involved one Kid moving swiftly, would make him dismiss the thought of doubles and dopplegangers. And he would be right, for that first night.

The second night, though, that was what carried them beyond simple illusion. The second night Kaito waited on the rooftop while Aoko as Kid stole the second shoe and then vanished into the crowd, a chameleon rather than a shadow. The second night wore the mask of the first night, but under the skin it was an entirely different animal. He’d been a little worried at first. That Tantei kun had failed to see through their first trick, but when Tantei kun appeared on the roof where Kaito was waiting to become Kid he realised he’d been wrong to doubt. That Tantei kun was even cleverer than they’d expected. That he’d been playing his own little trick on them, and put himself one step ahead. It was a good thing that the layered trick had the Kid two steps ahead already, or he might just have caught up with them.

Tantei kun jumped nearly three feet in the air when Kid appeared behind him. The look of utter confusion on his face was _adorable._ He’d clearly been so very sure about how they’d done their trick, had been waiting to ambush Kid while he was still halfway up the building. Too bad for him Kid was playing a different game this night. Really Tantei kun should have known better. After all, Aoko as Kid _had_ told him, a good magician never repeats the same trick for the same audience.

The shoe had been simple enough to reel in with a wire and an electric winch, and now of course he had the set. A shame they couldn’t keep them for a few days, he and Aoko would both look so _pretty_ in them, but with Tantei kun here they would probably have to use them as a distraction. Kid held the shoe up to the moonlight with one eye always on Tantei kun. It didn’t pay to look away from someone so fond of launching high velocity projectiles at people, but fortunately it seemed Tantei kun was too off balance to launch his usual attack. By the time he gathered his wits Kid had already taken flight, while Aoko melted back into the crowds that had sheltered her on the way in.

They wondered how long it would take Tantei kun to realise that there had been two different tricks. They wondered if he would understand what they’d been trying to tell him, that what looked like one thing, could sometimes be two. They hoped he would. He was smart their adorable little Tantei kun. As smart as Tantei san, and Tantei san knew almost everything by this point. The game would be so much more fun when their littlest critic figured out their advantage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewatch the teleportation episode for both DC and MK to get this right, and the different viewpoints on the same events were actually very enlightening. The things Conan noticed vs the things Kid noticed.  
> I might do the Trap island incident next.


	28. The children's hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoko is never going to let Kaito live this down. But at least the kids are cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Kaito finds out that small children are both terrifying and kind of adorable, and Conan comes to some realisations about Kid that he really should have had earlier.

Aoko was going to laugh at him. The sky was blue, the earth was round, and Aoko was going to laugh at him, so much. He could practically hear her already.

It had all been going so well too. Admittedly thanks to the jewel’s owner’s refusal to give Ginzou ji free reign it hadn’t been as much of a challenge as it should have been, but it had still been fun. Not the task force’s best work but they’d done well considering the restrictions. And just to put the icing on the cake their little Tantei kun had shown up completely by chance. He’d seen right through their first trick and they’d had time to exchange friendly banter before making their dramatic exit. It had been _good._

Then the Kid was shot out of the sky by a bunch of elementary school kids. Not even freaky deaged ones like Tantei kun, but actual, real life six year olds. It was humiliating. How the mighty fall. Police officers, and detectives, and trained snipers had all failed to take the Kid down. But now here he was, bested by three children with a remote controlled plane and a fishing rod. He was never going to live it down.

And then he’d somehow been roped into _babysitting_ the same brats that had shot him down. He did not sign up for that. Weren’t they supposed to be Tantei kun’s problem? At least he’d looked enough like Tantei kun’s adult alter ego to fool them. Being unmasked by six year olds would be too much humiliation for any self-respecting phantom thief to bear. It was a good thing it was him there, instead of Aoko, he at least could pass for Kudo, who was… unlikely to show up in his own form and therefore unlikely to blow his cover. Aoko as Ran would have had no such assurances.

Still he couldn’t exactly leave three kids to wander through that deathtrap of a forest alone, and he wondered exactly where the world had gone wrong that the internationally wanted criminal Kaitou Kid kept having to babysit the six year old friends of world famous detective Kudo Shinichi. At least they were cute. He could see why Tantei kun was so attached. He just wished the wildlife would stop attacking them, the boar was bad enough but the crocodiles, they were just excessive.

Seriously, who feeds small children to crocodiles? That’s some Bond villain level shit right there. And then of course they had to go old school with the gun toting minions.

He would never admit how relieved he was when Tantei kun burst in to the rescue.

…

Working with Kid instead of against her had been… more fun than he’d like to admit. They worked pretty well together. Well enough to make the counterfeiters regret ever taking up a life of crime. It made a strange sort of sense, after all, there weren’t many people in the world Shinichi could call his equal, and like it or not Kid was one of them. Taking down those counterfeiters had been like a well-choreographed dance, not a foot wrong on either side, brutally effective. Kid’s card gun, and Conan’s tranquiliser dart, and Shinichi’s soccer ball, (and the soccer ball was Shinichi’s not Conan’s, even if he needed Conan’s shoes to use it), all items used to devastating effect. It was impressive how well Kid had been able to synchronise with Conan’s abilities.

He’d taken good care of the kids too and that was something Shinichi could respect. After all he had first-hand experience of just how hard it was to keep those three out of trouble. They were impossible. But Kid had been willing to take a bullet for them, Shinichi had seen it in his eyes, and he might resent the impersonation, the fact that Kid could be Kudo Shinichi for them and he… couldn’t, but he couldn’t hold a grudge when Kid had done what he would have if he could. For the children’s safety, it was worth being impersonated.

The thought Shinichi kept circling back to though, was _why_ had Kid chosen to impersonate _him,_ when the detective boys found her. Admittedly it helped her gain the detective boys’ trust, but when she began the heist she’d had no way of knowing that she’d need to do that, so why would she have the mateirials necessary to impersonate him with her. It seemed a pretty random choice. It would have made far more sense for her to have a few of the task force’s faces on hand for an emergency disguise than a disappeared high school detective, who she’d never actually met in his true form. So why had she done it.

Unless, it wasn’t a disguise at all, or at least was a very minimal one. If Kid looked enough like Kudo Shinichi to pass naturally. But Kid was a woman, he was so _sure_ of that. Then he remembered the teleportation trick, the impossible teleportation trick that had tormented him for _weeks_ and suddenly the pieces came together, and he could have _kicked_ himself for being so blind, for making such a massive and flawed assumption. Not one trick, two different tricks, not one Kid but two. Apparently one male and one female. How could he have missed that?

He wasn’t sure whether to be disturbed or fascinated by the fact that at least one of the Kid probably looked enough like him to pass for him without heavy makeup or a mask. Truly the world was a strange place. He also had an increasing suspicion that the _other_ Kid probably looked quite a lot like Ran, given how often the Kid chose her as a disguise.

He wondered if Hakuba had guessed the truth. Most likely. Hakuba spent a lot more of his time chasing Kid than Shinichi did, and Shinichi was pretty sure he had some idea of who the Kid really was, even if he had no proof. At least he probably wasn’t the last to know. After all, Hattori spent even less time chasing the Kid than he did, Shinichi doubted he’d had a chance to work it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Shinichi has just realised he made a Mistake, he is very embarrassed about missing the clues. But not as embarrassed as Kaito who just got shot out of the sky by actual six year olds.  
> Aoko will be howling with laughter when she hears this story.  
> Next up probably the strongest safe episode. Warning for intense fluff and adorability just because.


	29. Good Samaritans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good deeds are sometimes their own reward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the Kid has to rescue a fellow thief from durance most vile, Shinichi isn't sure how to respond to ambigously gendered phantom thieves in maid costumes, and Aoko takes some pictures to send to their Tantei san.

It had been more than a surprise when they’d got the message. They’d had to read it twice to be sure. Suzuki Jirokichi of all people begging for their help. There was something they’d never expected to see.

When they’d found out his reasons their opinion of him had risen sharply. You could tell a lot about a person from how they treated animals, and the lengths that Suzuki san had gone to for his dog said more clearly  than words ever could that he was a good man. A little arrogant maybe, attention seeking, and overconfident, but he hadn’t let that get in the way of what was truly important, didn’t hesitate to swallow his pride when something that really mattered was at stake. They could respect that, it showed strength of character. Besides, they were hardly in any position to be casting stones at other people for pride and attention seeking behaviour now were they.

So now the Kid had a mission of utmost importance, the rescue of a fellow phantom from the tribulations of imprisonment. They could not fail, would not fail. An innocent dog was trapped, alone in the dark, and it would take a crueller person than either Kaito or Aoko to leave him there when they could help. When it would cost them so little, just another show for the Kid. Just a little of their time and effort. Especially with a proud man swallowing his pride and honestly asking for their help, the inside man implicit in that request for help, would make it easy for them to complete their task. It wasn’t like anyone would suspect Suzuki san himself of working with Kid.

There really hadn’t been any need for him to offer them a reward. It wasn’t as if they could have said no. Not if they ever wanted to look themselves in the mirror again, and given that looking at each other counted as that often enough, it made their choice simple. Not being able to look at each other would have been awkward. They would have done it freely and never asked for a thing in exchange. They would never demand payment for something like this. But if Suzuki san offered in gratitude in acknowledgement of what they’d done, they weren’t too proud to accept, not if he offered freely of his own will.  Even if they never planned on getting caught, even if they knew for a fact that if one of them was caught the other would break them out, they would be fools to refuse when a man like Suzuki Jirokichi offered to provide them with legal defence should they ever find themselves in need of it. After all, sometimes things happened, sometimes things went wrong, and as any magician knew, preparation was key to turning things back around.

…

And so, dressed in a pretty, pretty, maid’s outfit and a pretty face to match, Kaito as Kid embarked on her mission to rescue a thief in name from durance most vile, and found that good things came to those who do good deeds. An unexpected delight, their Tantei kun was there, as dangerously sharp as ever. Tantei kun as there and the safe was everything promised and more, with the kind of beautifully absurd death traps Kaito so regretted missing at that house in the woods when Aoko as Kid had spent the whole afternoon with Tantei kun and his friends. She’d been so jealous that Aoko got to play with Kichiemon’s traps with Tantei kun. Well, this time it was Kaito as Kid’s turn, and it was every bit as fun as she’d hoped. Secret mechanisms, and arrows shooting out of the lock, and an _axe_ that came out of nowhere and destroyed the floor where Tantei kun had been standing. Kid was almost overwhelmed by glee at the diabolical genius of it, gothic horror meets slapstick comedy, and she couldn’t keep from smiling in exhilaration. This was a good day, the reward for a good deed.

Tantei kun liked her outfit too, she could tell by the way he couldn’t help but comment on it. Well Kaito couldn’t blame him, she did look absolutely adorable, Aoko had agreed. She’d agreed so much she’d insisted on taking pictures before they’d started the rescue heist. She preened a little knowing her current disguise had one of their critics’ approval. It really was a shame that Tantei san wasn’t around to appreciate it. Kaito had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to look away. She wondered if sending him some of the pictures would count as incriminating evidence. Probably. Maybe if they took some more with less hard evidence of criminality and a bit more skin showing he’d be too embarrassed to show anyone. It was a thought to consider.

It felt a bit unfair to be thinking about such things in front of Tantei kun though. Unsporting. After all, the poor guy was trapped in the body of a six year old, while being treated as a little brother by the girl he liked, hugs, and attention, and holding hands, she probably even let him bathe with her. Poor Tantei kun must be so frustrated by this point. They should do something nice for him. No-one deserved that.

The safe clicked open at last, revealing a dog none the worse for wear but clearly a little deprived of physical affection judging by the way he lunged for Tantei kun and demanded petting, and Kid was able to smile in satisfaction at a good deed well done. Good dog, Tantei kun deserved cuddles considering everything he had to deal with, and if he was too proud to accept that comfort for a human, well if there’s one thing pets are good for its keeping confidences. Lupin wouldn’t tell a soul if Tantei kun were to let his guard down a little once Kid had made their exit.

Lupin’s over exuberant behaviour provided the perfect opportunity for Kid to make their escape. Clearly the name wasn’t just for show, if he was so good about helping his fellow phantom thieves escape from the long arm of the law. Truly a gentleman thief in canine form. They’d have to stop by and bring him some biscuits some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Conan pov this time i'm afraid. Mostly because next chapter is the Kirin's horn and that's going to be very Conan heavy, and the Kids are the main characters of this story. 
> 
> I have been considering for a while what to do when I ran out of episodes, and I've come to a decision. I could try and manufacture an ending and finish this fic up for good, but that wouldn't really fit with the episode by episode rewrites i've been doing, and would then not fit with any further Kid appearance dc implement.   
> I could also just rearrange my planned order and finish up on the Kaitou Corbeau episode the way the MK anime did, but I found that a deeply unsatisfying end to canon, and am not keen to do that either.  
> So i'm taking option three, I'll write through the episodes that are left, and then I'll put this story on pause until such a time as Kid reappears in dc. There might also be intermittent updates with made up heists, and possibly movie content if I ever get around to watching the movies.  
> On the minus side it means there won't be that final showdown with the Black Org anytime soon. On the plus side it means I can hopefully finish up this story in the next few weeks, which will mean I can start a new story.   
> I have a few options. The one I'm currently leaning towards is mostly tooth rotting fluff and an excuse to write the whole cast with fluffy animal ears, tails and shapeshifting powers. Just because.


	30. Drive it like you stole it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tantei kun's minions have no business being so effective and that Haibara girl is deeply suspicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Aoko robs a Kichiemon temple by stealing Tantei kun's minions, and Shinichi is not too good for petty revenge.

Technically it was Kaito’s turn to run the heist. But Kaito was unexpectedly and suddenly ill, so Aoko had to fill in. After all, they couldn’t have Kaito ruining the Kid’s mystique by throwing up in the middle of a heist. That simply would not do. It was fine though, they had ways of dealing with that sort of situation. Aoko knew how to be Kaito, it came as naturally as being herself. It was after all, the first role she’d ever learned.

In any case Kaito had already laid a lot of the groundwork playing phone games with Suzuki san and the television crew, so really all she had to do was put the plan into action, and show off just a little for Tantei kun. “Kid can’t impersonate children” indeed. They should have known any self-respecting phantom thief would take that as a challenge.

The heist itself had been a tricky one actually. Not because the trap was particularly diabolical, in fact by Kichiemon standards it had been positively tame. But Suzuki Jirokichi was smarter than he liked to appear, the location was awkward and there wasn’t much room to manoeuvre. Not much of an audience either and Aoko as Kaito as Kid had to resist the urge to sulk at the absence. After all he had Tantei kun and his little team of minions to show off for, and that was always a fun challenge in itself.

The minions were kind of a menace though, truth be told. Aoko was actually a little worried about what they’d be like when they grew up, if they were this effective already. Even without Tantei kun to guide them, they’d nearly figured out the instructions to a Kichiemon trap, by themselves. They were actually a little intimidating when viewed in that light. Not that she’d tell Kaito that. If she did, then she wouldn’t be able to mock him for getting shot down by six year olds any more.

That Haibara girl went beyond simple scary child though. Aoko was about seventy percent sure by this point that she was as much a real child as Tantei kun was. She’d been suspicious since that incident in the woods with the other Kichiemon trap. So maybe it wasn’t as disturbing as all that, how well the kids had managed without their pint sized mentor. Still pretty worrying though. Maybe Kid should invest in some minions of his own, just to level the playing field.

But no, that wouldn’t be right. Kid never played on a level playing field, he played the impossible odds every time, and still always held the winning hand. To do otherwise would go against everything Kid was, and that might just be enough to make lady luck desert them.

No Kid didn’t need to recruit his own minions. What he _needed_ to do, was to _steal_ Tantei kun’s minions. That was the proper choice for a phantom thief. And that was at the heart of the plan for the heist. Steal them for the night, and use them for her own, and then give them back because Kid always returns what he steals.

It had been close though, and the detective boys’ alarming display of skill had made it closer still. It was a tricky heist, and there had been elements of it that weren’t as elegant as Kid might have liked. The taser in particular had been, maybe a little over the line, even in planning, both Kaito and Aoko had felt a bit bad about that. But they’d needed Tantei kun out of play, just for a little while, and they’d needed somewhere to hide the horn, and there had been so little room to manoeuvre in that building. They couldn’t _afford_ to have Tantei kun disrupt their plans at the wrong moment.

Still, if Tantei kun had been an actual child Kid would never have done it, and even so she’d made sure to turn the power settings right down. In fact she’d possibly turned the settings down a little too far. Tantei kun was awake much sooner than she expected, but, better to err on the side of caution with that sort of thing, and in the end it had the desired effect anyway. Tantei kun had outsmarted himself, playing dead while he tried to figure out why they’d wanted him out of the way had brought them exactly the extra moments she’d needed.

The Haibara girl had been alarming though. Sharp, even for someone who shared Tantei kun’s unfortunate… condition. It was clear she wasn’t a detective, and yet still, she’d come very close to figuring them out before they were ready. Playing Aoko’s father was almost second nature at this point and yet still that girl had managed to guess they weren’t who they seemed to be. It was slightly scary to imagine just how competent she might be in her actual field of expertise, and that of course made Kid curious. There was nothing more exciting than an interesting thing that might blow up in their faces aftr all, and Kid might not be a detective, but they had their own ways of finding things out. Kaito in her ear thought they should investigate, and Aoko agreed. They’d have to talk Jiichan into it later.

…

As Kid retreated into the night Shinichi derived no small degree of glee from the note he'd taped to his nemesis's back. In Shinichi’s opinion, anyone who claimed revenge was ultimately unsatisfying had never had the opportunity to get back at Kid for the endless torment detectives suffered at her hands. No wait, it wasn’t just her was it. “Their”, that was it, the plural, because apparently one Kid wasn’t enough to be dealing with. Somewhere, somehow, Shinichi had done something terrible to deserve all this. He had a nasty suspicion it might have been something to do with lying to Ran. If he came clean would that count as clearing his karmic slate, or was the Kid thing going to be a permanent torment?

Still, at least he wasn’t the poor idiot dating two Kids at once. Dating one Kid probably involved the kind of utter havoc that properly belonged in poorly edited b-movies. Two Kids? Shinichi was just glad he wasn’t at ground zero for that.

Hattori had laughed and laughed when Shinichi phoned him up with his suspicions about the plurality of Kids, and commented on the situation poor Hakuba had apparently managed to get himself into. Hattori was capable of deriving endless amusement from anyone whose love life was even more of a car crash than his own. Shinichi suspected it might be a coping mechanism. Or maybe it was just because he didn’t like Hakuba very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. It's been a while I know. But I've broken through the writers block, and this fic will be finished soon.  
> Interesting fact, this fic was originally supposed to have Kaito as Kid, but I couldn't make it work so I switched him out with Aoko, and then used it as a plot point.  
> Red tear up next. We're onto the last five chapters for the time being.


	31. Shadow games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tantei kun has been playing dangerous games without telling Kid. They want answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which both Kids get caught up in a very dangerous game Tantei kun is playing.

Kaito flew away from a blast of heat and flame and fire that had been too close for comfort coughing hard, with Aoko in his ear doing her best not to panic in front of the other passengers. Neither Kaito nor Aoko was happy with how things had played out on that train. Tantei kun was playing with shadows, they’d suspected as much before, but now they knew for certain.

The Kid knew those shadows. Kaito and Aoko didn’t want it to be true but they hadn’t got this far by living in denial. There were, men with codenames that breathed blood and deception, there was the kind of danger that had Tantei kun running scared, and if Kaito had been anything less than he was he would have died in flames when the carriage exploded. Died in an explosion like his father before him, and neither he nor Aoko failed to see the parallel, the link, the pattern. There was too much there that was familiar for either of them to dismiss as a coincidence.

Shadows in black, Tantei kun was playing dangerous games indeed, and Kid was not happy to get caught up in them. They’d come in uncomfortably late to a dangerous game that they weren’t running, and both of them _hated it._ The Kid always played white, always made the first move, acted rather than reacted and there was a reason for that.

Because a phantom thief, a magician, had to control _everything,_ effortlessly. They had to know the ground, and know the players and have a plan for every possible eventuality. That was where the magic lived, and more often than not the magic was the only thing standing between them and death. So they stacked the deck, and set the board, and always always moved first, preferably before the enemy even knew they were playing. Playing black, reacting instead of acting, that was a critic’s game and neither of them were detectives.

It had been a tangled confused mess and neither of them had liked the disorienting feeling of not knowing _exactly_ what was going on, of being directed, of following someone else’s plan. It wasn’t in their nature. But Tantei kun had asked them for a favour, even if his pride meant he’d spoken it in the terms of doing _them_ a favour. Tantei kun had asked, and they knew he wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t important, if it weren’t about life and death.

Kaito and Aoko still didn’t know all the details. They knew there had been a lot more players, a lot more moving parts in Tantei kun’s plan than he’d let them see. After all, he didn’t quite trust them yet, if he even trusted anyone. The plan itself had been terrifyingly effective considering just how many people had been involved. Kaito had spoken to a man who called himself Bourbon, and Aoko had seen someone who might have been a woman and was definitely wearing a mask leaving the train at a strategic distance from Tantei kun and his little minions, there had been Tantei kun’s friend who shared his unfortunate condition, and that detective girl they hadn’t managed to get a proper read on yet, and probably more people they hadn’t seen. It was a lot of people to manage when executing a plan. Kid could do it, but Kid usually had weeks to spend planning. It was impressive. Not elegant, but then Tantei kun wasn’t Kid, elegance wasn’t his style. He went more for ruthless efficiency and brute force.

It worked. Of course it did. Tantei kun was good at what he did, that was one thing the Kid had never had reason to doubt. But reacting rather than acting made it so hard to control the variables, depended s much on chance, on things falling out just the way you’d hoped, and both Kaito and Aoko winced at how easily it could have gone wrong. If they had been anything less than they were, if they’d been anything less than the best then Tantei kun’s plan could have gotten Kaito killed, and neither of them liked to think what that would have done to Aoko. If they hadn’t planned ahead, if they hadn’t thought to leave the glider in the back of the train just in case.

That was of course what Tantei kun had counted on. He knew people, knew _them_ , better than they’d have liked. On the one hand, it was flattering that Tantei kun had such faith in their skills, but on the other… Kid knew exactly how unpredictable people could be, and the thought that if they’d been a fraction less prepared than Tantei kun predicted they were gave them both the cold shivers.

Well Tantei kun _owed_ them for that, and they’d take their payment in truth, in answers. Because it was becoming more and more clear that Tantei kun knew far more than he was saying, that he was tangled up with the same kind of trouble the Kid was. No doubt it would be like pulling teeth, Tantei kun liked to play his cards close to his chest, but Kid was nothing if not persistent and they _needed_ to know what he knew.

The trick would be finding a suitable opportunity. Dropping by his bedroom window in full costume wouldn’t exactly be subtle, much as Kaito wanted to see how he’d _react_ to having to explain that one to his Nee chan. And while codes were useful, and endlessly entertaining there was no guarantee the enemy couldn’t break them, they couldn’t be trusted, that was why Kid never put anything in his heist notes he wasn’t happy with everyone knowing.

Probably the quickest and simplest solution would be to just drop him a note at their next heist. It wouldn’t be too long. After all, they still had to investigate the blush mermaid, and there was a limited window of opportunity in play for that. They just hoped their Tantei san wasn’t around when they slipped the note. He was observant enough that he might see it happen and that would prompt questions they didn’t want to answer. Tantei san was altogether too sharp for his own good sometimes, given enough clues he _would_ figure it out and this was one mess they wanted to keep him well clear of. Losing him would break their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, slight change of plans. I decided to do the mystery train instead. The blush mermaid is next, and the red tear will come after that.  
> And yes, at some point in the next chapter Kid will be having a very serious talk with Conan about certain problems they have in common.  
> I was actually surprised while rewatching this by how little of what was going on the Kid was actually in a position to see.   
> And yeah, both Kids were on board. Kaito was the one who posed as Shiho, Aoko stuck with her original disguise and kept an eye on what was going on with the passengers leaving the train. They flipped a coin for it.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been attacked by Magic Kaito plot bunnies. This is one of the results. But then i'm kind of reaching a pause point in More things in heaven and earth so this should be a good distraction while I catch up on necessary research for that one.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Game of Life (Moon Magician in the Night)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16307129) by [OnceABlueMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceABlueMoon/pseuds/OnceABlueMoon)




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